Did you know that in 2020 alone, 4.6 billion pieces of personally-identifiable information were exposed and recovered by security professionals?
That’s a shocking amount of vulnerable data! Several reasons have contributed to such massive security threats. Remote working resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic created new vulnerabilities that many companies found themselves incapable of addressing.
In fact, it turns out that 77 percent of remote employees are using unmanaged and insecure devices to access a corporate database.
Cloud-based document systems offer convenience but the way they’re being used can result in serious threats. Here are some of the best ways to secure your data without having to engage in complex, hi-tech processes.
Choose the Right Cloud-Based Document Management System
It all starts with the right platform.
Some cloud-based document management systems give you access to much more advanced security features than others.
At the very minimum, look for a platform that lets you assign different roles and permissions. Having some people editing and others only viewing documents can reduce risks significantly. The same applies to limiting access to some of your most sensitive corporate data.
Access logs and version control can also be very beneficial when it comes to retaining information and making sure everyone is on the same page as far as data usage is concerned.
Password Policies
Yep, this may seem like a no-brainer but it’s a serious issue.
Studies show that more than 90 percent of employees have weak password update practices and one in five enterprise users rely on a weak password.
Introduce organization-wide password policies to strengthen your data security. Passwords should consist of letters, numbers and characters. It’s also a good idea to set a minimum password length, as well as a schedule for password updates (for example – every two months).
Some of the most serious cloud-based document breaches have been the result of human mistakes. If you come up with rules and policies aimed at minimizing the risk of such errors, you can prevent potential dangers most of the time.
Count on Encryption
Encryption is a powerful tool that most cloud-based document management solutions offer.
Through encryption, you create password-protected files. Only people who have the password can access such information.
There are two options here – you can encrypt files before moving them to the cloud or you can choose a document storage and management solution that offers encryption. Both of these opportunities result in significant security enhancement, especially when it comes to your most sensitive data.
Two-Factor Verification
If a password policy isn’t enough to protect your cloud-based documents, opt for two-step verification. Luckily, most cloud platforms already offer such an option.
Two-factor or two-step verification involves one more step in top of password entry (as the name suggests). Most often, a security code will be sent to the user’s mobile device and that security code will have to be entered alongside the password.
Such verification is becoming the norm for many publicly-available and free services. When you’re paying for cloud-based document storage, you should make sure that such an option can easily be enabled upon necessity.
Strong Anti-Virus Policies
Anti-virus software is still of vital importance, even if you’re storing documents on the cloud.
Make sure that the organization is relying on the right program to detect threats like viruses, malware and ransomware.
There are many excellent solutions out there that don’t cost a fortune. Some of them also offer web protection so that employee browsing history doesn’t have a negative effect on overall security.
If you have remote workers, it’s essential to provide them with devices that are equipped with an anti-virus program and that can detect and eliminate common threats.
Continue Educating Your Staff
A focus on strong passwords alone isn’t enough to educate your team on common dangers and how these could impact the organization.
That’s why you want to introduce ongoing policies and programs aimed at increasing awareness and improving cyber security.
All employees need to understand the importance of cyber security and how a single individual can jeopardize it. Come up with an action plan that will be employed in the event of a data breach. Also, make sure that employees are fully familiar with a cloud-based platform and its functionalities. If all tools at their disposal aren’t being put to good use, you are missing on a huge opportunity to improve both security and efficiency.
As you can see, good security is a mixture of the right technologies and the right practices.
Start out by choosing a cloud-based platform that meets your company’s needs. Also, make sure that the solution you’ve chosen can be scaled up as far as security is concerned.
When you have this solution in place, train your employees to use it properly. Organization-wide policies and privacy guidelines can reduce major risks and create a culture of enhanced cyber security.