Data protection is a serious topic and one that is not discussed enough. Billions of dollars are lost every year in identity theft and ransomware matters and that number is getting bigger by the year. Companies go through ridiculous lengths to protect themselves from these attacks but the reality is you have to still have a plan in place for if and when those defenses aren’t enough. 

Is it really that bad? No, and most forms of protection do offer you peace of mind. However, there are still questions you need to be asking, questions that can give you insight and guidance on how to combat this growing concern. Cyber attacks are not going away and even small businesses are not immune to them. 

Smart Questions About Data Protection 

When meeting with your IT management team or manager it’s important to go over everything, even if you do not know what to cover. Your expertise is not needed for you to have a great IT team, your expertise is needed in running a successful business. These are some of the best questions to ask as you get started: 

• What regulations apply to my business? The first and most important question is simple, what regulations do you need to know about? This has to be specific to your business and industry. For example, most medical businesses that house data need to be HIPAA compliant. 
• Are we compliant with all regulations on data protection? Knowing what you need to do is great, but are you doing it? When working with your IT team, make sure that you are going over every inch, especially when it comes to being compliant. 
• Best tools to protect against malware, ransomware, phishing and other attacks? What are the best tools that are compatible with the programs and software that you use and rely on throughout the day? You do not just want the best one, you want the best one for your programs, the best one for your industry and so forth. 
• What do we do if we are attacked? Have a plan in place. Usually, it starts with backing up as much of your data as possible. Know what you are supposed to do in those cases, who to call and how to manage the situation as best as possible. 
• Can our employees put our data at risk? Yes, your employees can easily put your data at risk, especially by making mistakes. This is why you need to not only focus on training, but multi-step authentication to ensure the people who have access to your data are supposed to have it. 
• Can our customers put our data at risk? Yes, but not as much, especially considering your employees have more internal access than customers do. Most potential threats by customers can be neutralized, especially if it’s threats based on accidents and mistakes. 
• How can we train our employees? Training is going to be key if you want to be serious about data protection. Go over everything from customer response and communication to how passwords are shared. 
• What else do I need to do? There’s always something else you can do to improve your data protection. That doesn’t mean spending more money, it simply means that you need to be aware of the steps that can be taken every day, week or month to offer further protection, especially if your business is growing. 

Data breaches cost companies billions of dollars. Your company needs to take data protection seriously, especially if you are housing thousands or more customers’ personal information. Work with your IT management team to go over all your efforts and strategies for data and cloud protection.