We’ve talked about the importance of data security a number of times here on on blog, because it’s crucial that businesses help protect themselves, and their clients. Our 20117 Ready site has a number of services and items that any business should look into in order to be compliant with various laws and regulations; that site was specifically set up to help our customers comply with the Massachusetts 201 CMR 17 data law that’s been in place for a few years now.

Any and every business that maintains customer information could potentially lose customer data, and it’s not always malicious traffic. While stories about hackers breaking into networks and stealing data are sensationalized, sometimes it’s simple human error like losing a laptop, or hardware failure that causes data to be compromised or lost.

Because our primary service offering is Internet access, we always want to make sure our customers are educated about the different ways they can help protect themselves against data loss or theft. Not only can their business be heavily fined if data’s lost or compromised, the resulting negative press and loss of customer confidence could cause the company to close. Any organization with dedicated Internet access (which is virtually everyone nowadays) is a potential target for network break-ins, and we always want to make sure customers know how they can protect themselves and their networks.

Here are a few core services and options businesses should look into in order to maintain their data security:

Firewall – firewalls help protect computer networks against intrusion, and keep sensitive data out of the hands of hackers. In addition, many firewalls can also help stop employees from visiting websites known to harbor malicious downloads and actively block sites from attempting to force a download of a malicious file in the background. Further, firewalls can also help employee productivity by blocking access to non-work related sites, and logging their web history.

Data backup – keeping up-to-date copies of data can literally be a lifesaver if a hard drive suddenly dies, or is damaged beyond repair in an accident. Not all data loss is due to theft, and if a server suddenly has an issue, or your office is physically damaged in a fire or flood, having an up to date copy of your data securely stored offsite can allow your business to get back up and running quickly.

Server colocation – many businesses are opting for geographic failover by storing servers in a datacenter and either copying their secure data to those servers, or even using them as the primary resource. Our datacenter in Providence, RI which is located in the Foundry complex offers a secure facility to clients who wish to host their servers offsite. This not only gives clients backup and redundancy, it very often improves performance as servers in a datacenter have much more robust Internet access than those hosted in the company’s offices.

EMail encryption – email has become the primary communications tool for many companies, and often times employees will transfer customer and internal info through email. Here in Massachusetts, if any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is stored together, or sent in an email together, that data has to be encrypted. Clients can get email encryption through a number of our different email platforms to help keep those communications private and secure.

Regardless of your company’s size, keeping your network and data secure should be a priority. The phrase “oh we’re not big enough to have anyone concerned about us” simply doesn’t apply anymore in the global economy. With a wide range of services, businesses with one or two employees can be just as securely protected as those with one thousand or more employees.

If you have questions about your data and network, please let us know! We can help you put together services and a plan to protect your data both now and in the future.

 

 

If your business is concerned with security, download our free eBook “Managed Security: Providing Enhanced Protection At A Lower Cost” to help determine the best methods to help keep your company protected.