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How to Safeguard your Privacy in this Information Age

The risks that modern businesses face from unauthorized access to their digital and telecommunication data are huge. The recent “WannaCry” cyber attack that affected over 150 countries is one such example of how vulnerable we are in this information age. Losses to the tune of $4 billion are expected from just this single attack, according to a CBS news story.

The ground reality of today is that a large number of Americans have low confidence levels regarding the security of the data they share, either digitally or through telecommunication networks, as has been emphasized through various studies on the subject. For instance, only 6% of the survey respondents felt that they were “very confident” that landline companies would be able to protect their data, revealed Americans’ Attitudes About Privacy, Security and Surveillance, a report published by Pew Research Center.

Steps to Take to Protect Your Data

Prevention is Better than Cure – “With all the news of data breaches and cyber security scares, 888VoIP is taking a proactive approach rather than reactive,” says Dan Shurmatz, Chief Operations Officer, 888VoIP. The company recently tied up with a subscription-based cloud firewall service to provide a higher degree of protection to its clients using its VoIP products.

• Network Firewall – A network firewall will act as your first line of defense in the event of attempts to gain unauthorized access to your internet and telecommunications data.

• Get Rid of Legacy Infrastructure – One of the biggest risks to digital privacy comes from the reluctance of many companies to do away with their dependence on legacy systems because of perceived cost benefits. Two immediate challenges come from the use of hard-coded passwords and the fact that most software either does not get patched in a timely manner to address fast emerging new security vulnerabilities or the support from their vendors have stopped. The popular Windows XP operating system is one good example to cite here, as its support was stopped by Microsoft in April 2014.

• Virtual Private Network (VPN) – Consider setting up a VPN that is a private network that your company will use to connect to the internet. The fact that your connection with the VPN server is in encrypted form will make it very difficult for anyone from the outside to eavesdrop and view or steal your company’s data.

• Two-Factor Authentication – A large number of data breaches occur because of stolen passwords or passwords that were easy to decipher. The introduction of two-factor authentication presents a great opportunity to add a second layer of verification before authenticating a user.

• Safe Browsing Practices – The May 2017 WannaCry ransomware cited above is a perfect case in point that was largely caused by the unsafe browsing practices of users, where a lot of people clicked on unsafe links and attachments in their e-mails. A top to bottom sensitization on best practices around internet safety is the need of the hour in every organization, big or small.

• Anti-Malware Protection – Malicious software or malware poses a serious risk to your data. Most users won’t know when their systems have been compromised and it is by and large a dormant threat that can expose your corporate data to hackers.

Adequate checks and balances must be enforced in a corporate setting and the primary responsibility for compliance rests with the CIO. The aforementioned areas are a good starting point and just a few examples of where an organization can begin and work forward to prevent any inadvertent or unauthorized breaches when it comes to ensuring data privacy.

Written By

Marcelo Fincher is a blogger & writer on technology related topics with years of experience in studying technological advancements. In his spare time, Marcelo likes to read books and take a walk on the beach.

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