With all of the digital tools available, running a paperless business is easier than ever. However, no tool is without risk. While physical storage devices and cloud based solutions can make it easy to set up and run a digital filing system, every business must prepare for the worst, or be confronted with the loss of its time, data, and money when the worst occurs.
As with a paper filing system, your digital filing system can be protected when you use the right precautions. Use the tips below to create a system that will safeguard your business’s digital files wherever they may live.
- Locate all your business data – Without knowing where your business data resides, you won’t be able to extend the fullest protections. Before you enhance your digital data security, locate all of the files and data that need protection, from the data you use daily, to the data that is seldom used, but is necessary to maintain.
- Proactive security measures – Security threats can occur when a virus is present, or when data is breached by an unauthorized user, or employee who means to do your business harm. Security measures should be put in place to prevent these threats from doing the most damage. While not every precaution will keep threats out, they will greatly improve the odds of keeping your digital filing system secure. To start, remember to change all default passwords, set up firewalls, install antivirus software, and manage patches and updates as they become available.
- Physical device storage & security – If your data is stored within physical storage devices, you may have a false sense of security that your data will always remain intact. However, physical storage devices are prone to physical damage, and even theft. Audit your physical safeguards and determine what measures can be implemented to improve physical security. Consider introducing additional locks, security cameras, alarms, and biometric fingerprint scanners to keep intruders out, and backup generators to ensure devices stay cool even in a power outage.
- Protect your archive – your business may choose to archive specific files for various reasons. Ensure your archive is both encrypted and protected from data loss. Follow these instructions to build your own, reliable data storage archive.
- Have a backup plan – Disasters can occur at any time, even after precautions have been taken. Devices still undergo damage and loss, data can still be stolen or accidentally altered, and viruses can still make their way in and take your business data with them. Should these threats breach your safeguards, you don’t have to lose your data on top of it. By having a cloud backup plan, you can restore all of your business data from your backup, as you need it. This makes it the perfect emergency solution. Whether an employee makes an undoable file change, or a ransomware virus strikes, you can restore your data from any previous file version in order to regain the files and content you need. Just make sure you choose the right cloud backup provider.
Take the first step toward protecting your digital filing system today. Sign up for a 3 month free trial of automatic, continuous cloud backup for business.
