Think security is difficult and expensive? Think security is boring? Do you think “it’ll never happen to me”? Do you often say “I should worry about being secure but I’m too busy and I’m really not all that interested”? If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions above, you’re in the majority. Below you’ll find the top 2 tips, yes only 2, to keep your business secure in 2011 and beyond.
We recently came across a very enlightening article – The Top 500 Worst Passwords of All Time.
The top ten most commonly used passwords are listed below:
- 123456
- password
- 12345678
- 1234
With the increasing frequency of data theft attacks and the recent legislation adopted in states like Massachusetts and Nevada, many companies are facing the task of creating an Information Security Plan. Although the concept itself is not new, until recently, the Information Security Plan was generally only found in larger businesses, or in those with a specific focus on security. Now, however, businesses of all sizes across America are recognizing the Information Security Plan as the cornerstone for their company’s security foundation. In fact, even those companies not required to adopt a plan legally are taking steps to create this important document.
On March 1, 2010, the state of Massachusetts joined the ranks of other states like Nevada in enacting strict regulations for all public and private entities that store, transmit or have access to consumer personal information. Massachusetts, unlike other states, took the regulations a step further in mandating that all third party providers who do business in the state also abide by the regulations, set forth in Mass. CMR 17.00, CH 93 (http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/gl-93h-toc.htm).
Data security is a top concern for companies of all sizes, in all industries. Every business has data that needs to be secured – whether it’s a client’s personally identifiable information, financial records, or confidential business related documentation. Most companies rely on tools such as firewalls, virus scanners and other network security options as the primary means of securing information. However, security is the responsibility of each and every one of us – and the actions we take every day in the course of our normal activities can have a huge impact on the overall security of our companies. Here are 8 simple ways that you can help to increase your company’s security today, and every day:
Would you send out postcards to your clients with their social security numbers, bank accounts, and credit card information written on the back? Of course not! But every time you send an email that has any of those pieces of personally identifiable information in it, you might as well just drop a postcard in the mail instead.
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