Iron Mountain Offers 10 Smart Ideas for Keeping Data Safe From Hackers

by Jeffrey Burt

Data encryption is a key defense against breaches, according to Iron Mountain. That includes all information, whether it’s stored digitally, on tape or on employees’ mobile devices.

In this era of bring-your-own-device (BYOD), with more people using mobile devices for work, the amount of sensitive data on these smartphones and tablets is increasing. Organizations need a strong mobile device management policy to protect these devices, whether they’re corporate- or employee-owned.

There is always some outdated and sensitive data—whether related to the company, employees or customers—that needs to be shed. Companies need a corporate policy that takes in account the secure destruction of such data.

Regardless of where the data is—stored locally, in the data center or in the cloud—IT professionals should always know how the information is being secured.

Just as with data, organizations need to have an end-of-life plan for assets that might hold sensitive information, to ensure that the information on the assets remains secure.

Weak passwords continue to be an easy avenue for cyber-thieves looking for information. Organizations must use complex passwords that are changed frequently. They also should use two-factor authentication when possible.

Companies need to ensure that their virus protection software is kept up-to-date.

Both firewalls and intrusion-detection software are key elements to the larger data protection effort.

An enterprisewide policy aimed at protecting private information from unauthorized access or inadvertent disclosure is the best policy for keeping the data safe.

Employees can be a source of problems and a key line of defense. Businesses need to ensure that workers are properly trained to treat information appropriately, and that all employees are up-to-date on the latest corporate policies and procedures.