10 Things I Know About Information Security
10. INFORMATION IS VALUABLE.
Thieves try to steal personal information so they can sell it to others who commit identity fraud.
9. BREACHES ARE EXPENSIVE.
In 2011, the average data breach cost $5.5 million, or $194 for each record affected within that breach.
8. COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY.
There are various state and federal regulations that require all business to have appropriate policies, processes and technologies in place to keep credit card numbers, driver's license numbers, Social Security numbers and health care information properly secured. Violations could result in fines and jail time.
7. CLASSIFY INFORMATION.
The first step to creating a good information security program is to classify your data. Anything that must be reported in the event of a breach should have the most stringent access and policies.
6. CREATE POLICIES.
Create policies to comply with data breach laws and standards, mobile device use and other regulations that affect your business.
5. IMPLEMENT PROCESSES.
Make sure you know where your sensitive data reside. Survey-based audits can track information in both electronic and paper form.
4. IMPLEMENT TECHNOLOGY.
Encrypt sensitive data on laptops, desktops and mobile devices. Laws also require routine monitoring of sensitive information to help deter unlawful access.
3. HAVE A WRITTEN SECURITY PLAN.
In Massachusetts, any business that handles personally identifiable information (PII) must have a written information security plan that outlines how it is kept secure.
2. GET BUSINESS PARTNERS IN LINE.
Make sure business partners that handle PII take the same care you do. Add language to contracts to ensure this.
1. EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE.
Education is the best way to make your employees aware of threats and what should be done to avoid them.
Patty Patria is the chief information officer at Becker College in Worcester. She can be reached at ppatria@becker.edu.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments