Data Privacy Tips for Small Businesses
Regardless of the business you are in, you are bound to collect consumers’ data. From email addresses for your newsletters to credit card information on e-commerce sites, you hold crucial data in your hands. Therefore, you need to have a system to safeguard sensitive consumer data in case of a breach.
We have rounded up some data privacy protection tips that every business owner needs to know.
1. Establish a data privacy policy. Right off the bat, you need to create a data privacy policy for your business. Most businesses collect customer data, such as names, phone numbers, and email addresses. Essentially, your data privacy policy is a document that stipulates the type of information your company collects, its usage, what safeguards and controls are in place to protect it, and who has access to it.
2. Train and Educate your employees. You should train your employees on what constitutes acceptable behaviour and privacy violation. Plus, you need to educate your employees on your data privacy policy and how to handle sensitive data. You can do this through training, webinars, and one-on-one conversations. The better your employees understand your data privacy policies and measures, the better they can help keep the data safe.
3. Back up your data. Backing up your data is one of the simplest ways to protect your data privacy. Have a plan for measures to protect the data in the case of a data breach. By creating a backup of your data, you are ensuring that if your data is ever lost, you will still be able to access it. Backing up your data should be a regular part of your business workflow. Most importantly, do not rely on a single system or location for your data, as it could lead to catastrophic losses in case of a breach.
Related: 5 Reasons Why a Backup is Extremely Important
4. Keep your security software up to date. Updated security software is one of the simple ways to protect your data privacy. Security software monitors your systems and protects your data against known risks. The best security software also detects and blocks known data privacy violations, such as bots that seek sensitive information, phishing emails that try to get you to give up your data, and malware that steals your data.
Related: 6 Tips to Protect your Website from hackers
5. Use a secure network. The most secure way to collect your data is to use a secure network. This means that your network is secured with encryption, password protection, firewalls, and other security measures. Most importantly, your network should be free from known data privacy violations, such as bots and malware. Even if you use the best security software, if your network is known for data violations, you will be at risk.
6. Install SSL. Building consumer trust on your business takes a lot of time and effort. However, all these will not matter if your site is hacked, and leads to stolen consumer data. Installing an SSL certificate not only safeguards against a data breach, but also maintains the reputation of your business.
Data privacy is a critical topic for any business. The better you understand your data risks, the better you can protect your visitors’ data. The steps outlined above will help you start down the path of protecting your data privacy.
