Data Safety Instructions

Data protection can lower the risk of cyber-attacks, which could negatively impact your business and your reputation. It is essential to understand and adhere to the best practices when it comes to protecting sensitive information. A breach of your private information could lead to lawsuits and fines that could have long-term ramifications for you or your organization.

Protect all files and devices with the use of a password. This simple step will help prevent hackers from gaining access to your personal information. Use strong passwords with complex combinations of letters, numbers and symbols. Change default passwords supplied by vendors to more secure ones whenever you can. Use up-to-date anti-virus software and perform a identity fraud protection full security check of your computer and servers.

Don’t send confidential or personal sensitive information via email. This includes Social Security numbers, bank account information passwords, etc. Email is not secure and could be intercepted by unfriendly parties.

Be sure that your network and data are secure. Ensure that your laptops, computers, and portable storage devices are secured by using strong encryption when sending data to third parties as well as to protect the information on these devices. It is also important to plan out a strategy to respond to a cyber-attack, including who you will be notified and what you’ll do (e.g. employees customers, credit bureaus, etc.).

Make sure you have a backup of all your data. Keep the offline copies in a separate location from where your primary copies are kept. This will help to prevent hackers from gaining unauthorised access to your primary copy, or from deleting it.