Everyone needs to take data security very seriously, especially for companies and governments. Where a breach has taken place, companies may need to suffer significant financial losses as well as face negative impact on the company’s brand and customer loyalty. In this blog, we are going to discuss what a data breach is, and explore some effective ways to prevent data breaches from occurring at your company.

What is a Data Breach?

You may have heard the news about stolen data of 533 million facebook users leaked online, and you thought it only occurred at large companies such as Facebook, Yahoo or Linkedin. In fact, every company could be the target of cyber attacks, regardless of the size of those companies.

According to a 2020 Verizon report, 86% of global data breaches are financially motivated. Hackers use some methods, for example, phishing, malware and ransomware to steal companies’ confidential information, including the following types of data:

• Employee personal information
• Client names, birthdays, phone numbers and addresses
• Company’s financial accounts
• Company’s confidential documentations

Small and midsize businesses aren’t immune to cyber threats. Large companies are able to spend money on antivirus software to keep them safe from cyber attacks, but most small companies have fewer security protocols and no support team in place, making them easier targets.

How to Prevent Data Breaches

After discussing how data breaches occur, let’s talk about some ways to minimise the risk of data breaches.

Encrypt and backup data

Personal data should at least be encrypted, including on work laptops issued to staff. Instead of using backup tapes that can be lost or stolen, data can be backed up to remote services using the Internet.

Use security software

Using a vulnerability and compliance management (VCM) tool or a vulnerability assessment will help you identify the gaps, weaknesses, and security misconfigurations within your environments. If you are looking for security software to protect your business, we, IP Partners, are the third-party vendor providing cyber security services. Click here to learn more about our services and how we can help you mitigate cyber security incidents.

Train employees

It is very important to train your employees to follow best practices. Make sure the staff are aware of the importance of data security and how to avoid mistakes that could lead to breaches. Awareness of sensitive data and security should be a part of the company’s culture.

A professional IT secure support team can help you reduce the risk of cyber attacks. IP Partners provides remote management services, and we offer flexible IT managed technical service solutions that keep your business safe.

IP Partners Can Prevent Data Breaches and Cyber Attacks

At IP Partners, we can protect your business from data breaches, identify all of your data leaks, and assist you with cyber security risk management strategies.

Email sales@ippartners.com.au or give us a phone call (08) 7200 6080 to keep your business better protected with IP Partners today!