How businesses can protect confidential customer data

Every day, thousands of companies fall victim to cyber scammers. In business, the theft of confidential customer information can seriously tarnish a company's reputation, undermine customer confidence, and lead to its downfall. In this article, we will look at ways to protect the personal data of customers that will protect your business from online scammers and more. 

Five ways to protect personal data from hackers

Here are some actionable ways your company can implement to optimize the protection of user privacy:

1. Hire  DPO. Data Protection Officer is a database security specialist. His responsibilities include protecting confidential customer data in accordance with data protection laws and regulating the use of users' personal information. 

Hiring such an employee can be financially burdensome for small and medium-sized businesses, but in large companies, having a DPO is almost a must. 

2. Safe hosting. The most common source of stolen information is unreliable web hosting services. Good system software should receive regular updates and have built-in security measures. Access to plugins, frameworks, SMS and libraries should only be given to employees interacting with the server.
3. Endpoint Security. An endpoint is any remote access point that communicates with the company network through end users or autonomously. Database protection in this regard consists of training employees in cyber hygiene rules.
4. Data encryption. Encrypted channels are those that convert transmitted data into another code and form. Full file system encryption is relevant for employees' laptops and tablets in case they lose their devices. Then only people who have access to the decryption key or password will be able to read the data. 
5. Two-factor authentication. To access the infrastructure, users need to confirm their identity using a one-time password from SMS. Such database protection can be installed on the mail and in some CRM systems and services. Read more about what 2-FA is and how to use it in our article.  

Protecting customer personal data is a top priority for any business. If you are determined to grow from a small company to a commercial giant, database security should be included in your business plan as both a mandatory expense item and as part of your risk avoidance strategy. 

The above recommendations will be quite enough to strengthen the company's cybersecurity, but, unfortunately, no known method can guarantee 100% protection of confidential data.