All your computers require log-ins. Your data is safe. Or is it?
According to a survey reported by Forbes magazine, while employees expect—even demand—their personal data be kept private, a surprising 20 percent of employees reported they would sell their passwords. An amazing 44 percent of those would be willing to do it for less than $1,000, with some even stating they would accept less than $100.
What can you do? Protect your data.
There are three steps: People, process, and policies.
Hackers target people first, as the weakest link. Passwords should be unique, include strong features, such as a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. The same password should not be used for every application. Establish a process for accessing data, and maintain strict policies over access and passwords.
One important policy: No sharing of logins. Laxity on this point can cause data breaches that can literally destroy your data and allow hackers to gain access to all of your company information. A culture within a company treating this as a no exceptions policy will be a strong deterrent to password/log-in breeches.
An important step is to consider utilizing password management software. A Google search will bring up loads of them. PC Magazine has a good article on the topic.
Finally, check with your liability insurance carrier. Determine how much coverage you have for data breeches as ask for their recommendations for safeguarding your data.
AUTHOR BIO
Karl Stearns is an award winning accessory industry expert. A recipient of the prestigious SEMA PRO Jim Borre Lifetime Achievement Award, he now provides consulting services for marketing and sales, and product representation through his company KMS Marketing Solutions. He's always pleased to assist anyone in the industry and can be reached via email at '; // -->.
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