Data Privacy, as the name suggests, is the protection of personal data from anyone who has not been given express permission to access your personal information. The main purpose of data privacy is to ensure that you have control over who has and who does not have access to your information.
The correct implementation of Data Privacy policies will ensure organisations are protected from internal and external data breach threats. Any form of data breach that results in personal information of internal or external stakeholders being accessed by unauthorised persons can result in organisations being issued with fines or further legal action.
Can you prevent data privacy breaches?
Is anyone’s personal information really safe anymore? Can you stop breaches from happening to you or your company? Here are 6 ways to prevent data privacy breaches:
1.) Limit access to your most valuable data.
Implementing a data security officer and limiting the access to personal data by only authorised individuals will ensure data leaks are avoided. Ensure that individuals and companies are only dealing with data they require to do their work. Do not allow access to personal data that will not be utilised for work purposes.
2.) Third-party vendors must comply.
Ensure that all individuals and businesses who you deal with comply with data privacy laws. Ensure all data that is received and given to vendors and 3rd parties has been authorised to do so. Performing background checks on vendors and clients on a regular basis will assist in ensuring you only deal with reputable companies and individuals.
3.) Conduct employee security awareness training.
Scheduling regular updated security training is a great way to ensure staff are up to date with the latest data privacy laws and regulations.
4.) Update software regularly.
Always ensure your software and security systems are up to date and operating correctly. Security systems such as Baseline Security Analyzer by Microsoft can assist with ensuring all privacy checks are up to date and in place.
5.) Develop a cyber breach response plan.
Developing a comprehensive breach preparedness plan enables both the employees and the employer to understand the potential damages that could occur. Your response plan should begin with an evaluation of exactly what was lost and when. By taking swift, decisive action, you can limit damages and restore public and employee trust.
6.) Difficult to decipher passwords.
Ensuring that your passwords are difficult to decipher and well encrypted is a good tool to ensure data protection. Utilising systems that can provide randomised passwords ensures no links can be made between a user and a password. Setting password criteria and update times can also assist with password protection. Using upper case, special characters, no double letters or numbers and including a limited number of uses will all increase the level of security.
At Oasis, we make it our mission to ensure that you and your company doesn’t get breached. Contact us for more information on how you can keep your data private. We would be happy to assist you!
Oasis Intelligent IT Solutions.
Telephone: 011 784 9167
Email: info@theoasis.co.za
Website: wwwtheoasis.co.za
