How Businesses Can Protect Private Customer Data
In today’s world, operating a business isn’t so straightforward. Staying competitive requires collecting and analyzing user data to improve services and inform product development.
If you can’t keep your customer’s private information safe, it could hurt your brand or lead to legal action. Read on to learn how businesses can protect private customer data to ensure it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
Network Security
The first step in protecting your customer’s private data is to ensure it’s stored securely in a location that third parties can’t access. Malicious actors are constantly trying to access restricted systems to steal or hold data hostage.
Good network security practices go a long way in preventing malware, spyware, and other types of malicious code. Proper user management, sufficiently complicated passwords, and physical ethernet connections can dramatically reduce the chances of your network being breached.
Reliable proxies like Geonode can also significantly enhance network security by providing safe global content access through IP masking and geo-restriction bypassing. Proxies also mitigate direct attack risks and offer controlled web usage and data encryption in premium versions, forming a robust layer of defense for your network.
Data Destruction
Another common threat to customer data is old storage drives that are no longer being used. When data storage devices reach their end of life, they must be disposed of through the proper channels, or else they could present a severe security risk to your business, employees, and customers.
HDDs, SSDs, and flash drives still contain information, even after it’s been deleted. Most businesses turn to a certified data destruction company capable of entirely removing or destroying anything still on the drive. Knowing which records to keep and which records to shred is essential for protecting private user data.
Backup and Restore
If user data is lost, stolen, or destroyed, it must be recovered quickly. A reliable backup solution will ensure data isn’t lost for good when something goes wrong. However, backups should be as secure as possible, or they won’t do any good.
A 3-2-1 backup solution is the most common approach that businesses take. Having three backups consisting of two onsite and one offsite option offers peace of mind in case of an accident or natural disaster. Fires, floods, and extreme weather can put user data at risk. Creating a plan that accounts for geo-redundancy will ensure information can be retrieved no matter what.
Be Mindful of Legal and Ethical Requirements
Handling user data is a core responsibility for businesses. While it gives them some insights into customer behavior and allows them to tailor products and services according to individual needs, the inherent risks must be considered.
Failing to take the necessary action can result in severe legal and ethical challenges. Learning how businesses can protect private customer data will allow you to build a secure foundation for long-term growth.
