Protecting Your Customers From Data Breaches

It seems that nobody is safe from being the target of computer hackers. Whether you have a larger corporation or a small “mom and pop” business, if you collect personal information from consumers, it is extremely important that you take measures to protect this private data. Not only does the law require it, but your customers and clients are expecting it.

• You must have an understanding of the types of information you collect as well as the different types of formats you retain it in (digital, hard copy, etc.). You will want to think about the issues involved in using these methods to store the data.
• Create a strategy for protecting all means for storing private information. For example, if you maintain hard copies of documents that have confidential information, you should have a locked filing room or filing cabinets that can be locked. Your digital data should be safeguarded with passwords, firewalls, anti-virus programs, and other preventative systems for protecting your computers and network system. If you store information in the cloud, you should confirm with your service provider that it is protected. Our very own Sam Swenson was interviewed by California Lawyer on this very topic. Click here to read that article.
• Limit access to the confidential data. Many times a data breach involves somebody from within the company. You should also consider whether private information could be inadvertently disclosed (through emails, meta-data, etc.), which may require you to seek professional assistance from an IT expert.
• Once you have your security systems in place, it is important to update them often. Your employees should be required to change their computer passwords every few months. Your firewall and anti-virus software should be regularly updated. This may involve a cost/benefits analysis to determine whether upgrading your security system makes sense.