The Importance of Business Data Networks and Security: Part One: Risks Companies Face

No matter how big or small your company is, your company runs on data and, chances are, that data is stored on computers. That data, from the customer information you store to the company information you work from, play a crucial role in the operation of your business and the confidence your customers place in it.

Unfortunately, over the last few years, we have seen news stories about major compromises of company data regularly. Cell phone companies, retail stores, financial advisors, and others have shown up in the news with millions of records jeopardized. Clearly, business data network security is no joke. After all, your company operates based on this data and keeping it secure is critical. But, do you know how to improve your data security? Do you know what risks jeopardize your business data networks? In this article, we will discuss business data security risks and the importance of addressing them.

Business Data Network Security Risks

The first step in improving your business’ data security is knowing where your company is at risk for data breaches. It’s difficult to establish policies and protections for safeguarding your data if you don’t know where breaches can come from. Here are some of the most common risks facing business data security:

Employee Negligence

Believe it or not, not all data breaches come from malicious hackers burrowing their way through layers of cyber security. Many times, employee carelessness poses a much greater risk. Employees may leave their computers unattended without locking them first, or they may open attachments or click links embedded in spam, which opens the floodgates for malware to transfer or corrupt your company data.

Employee Malice

It’s a sad fact, but sometimes, disgruntled employees digitally attack their present or past employers. Whether it comes from being fired or laid off, passed over for a promotion, or some other perceived slight against them, an employee with knowledge and access to your business data networks can wreak havoc on your data security. They may choose to duplicate, delete, corrupt, or publish sensitive files in an attempt to hurt or impede your business’ success.

Outdated Software

Updates to operating systems, anti-malware software, and other pieces of software are released fairly regularly, but due to the often large scale of company networks and the time required to install the updates, businesses don’t always update their computers as regularly as they should. These updates can include patches that protect vulnerabilities that may have been discovered after the software was released. Without these patches, your company could be unnecessarily exposed to data breaches.

Employee Mobility

True mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops allow employees to work from just about anywhere, but when employees store sensitive company or customer data on their personal devices, there is a much greater risk that the information can end up in the wrong hands. These devices could be lost or stolen, accessed via unsecured or vulnerable Wi-Fi networks found in coffee shops or even an employee’s home, or even copied in a matter of moments. In the latter cases, you and your employees may not realize there has been a data breach until it is too late.

Lack of Security Policy Enforcement

Even if your company has security policies in place, if your business does not enforce them appropriately, they do little to nothing to manage the human element of data security risk. Some companies also do not adequately train employees on data security practices, meaning that employees do not know best practices when it comes to protecting a company’s data in the first place.

Lack of Data Backup Procedures

Data security breaches don’t always mean that the data is stolen or ends up in the wrong hands. In some cases, a data breach involves the loss of data. If you don’t have a backup procedure in place, you could find yourself losing customer information, employee data, business protocols, and more in a single moment. Even if the data lost doesn’t end up in someone else’s possession, you’ve just lost critical information that your business runs on.

The Importance of Improving Your Business Data Network Security

Now that you are more aware of the risks companies face regarding their data network security, it’s easy to see how important it is to evaluate and improve your data security protocols. Business data networks are the lifeblood of any business, and it is vital to take steps to safeguard these networks against internal and external threats. In part two of this series, we will discuss tips and steps to take in order to improve your business data network security.

Get a More Secure Data Network for Your Business

Has learning about the various risks of poor network and data security got you wondering if your business’s protocols and set-up are up to snuff? At C1C, we’ve been creating and securing business data networks for companies large and small for over fifteen years. Give us a call today at 855-TECH-C1C (855-832-4212) or contact us online for a FREE consultation of your business’s network security.