Data is the new oil – you might have heard this phrase a few times. Well, as we march forward and advance further into the 21st century, the statement is becoming more and more true.
Data and data-driven services, of late, have opened up enormous new opportunities. This data revolution has impacted the big and small businesses alike.
However, it has come with its own set of challenges that need to be tackled. Information security is the biggest challenge among them all.
Even if you are a small business, you need to take information security seriously. We explore the domain of information security in-depth, in this post.
What is information security?
As per the textbook definition, it is the practice of protecting and mitigating the information risks by establishing security processes and frameworks within the organization.
However, over the years, the expanse and scope of information security has grown manifold. Today, it encompasses not only mitigation, but also forecasting, detecting, and eliminating the information security threats.
Why is information security so important?
With the unprecedented push towards digitization and digitalization in recent times, every person, entity, activity, communication, systems, and process has become a data point in some form or the other.
These data points hold enormous and critical information. Unauthorized and free access to this information, is not only dangerous but can also prove to be lethal for business organizations.
Therefore, information security is extremely important even for small business setups.
The information security threats
Information security is far more complex than it appears to be. A larger part of it can be attributed to the diverse and unpredictable nature of the information security threats.
Some of the prime information security threats, include, but are not limited to the following.
Malware/viruses
It is a long pertaining and one of the most common types of information security threats. Malware are harmful and unwanted programs that infect your information system quietly.
Malware can be just a few lines of code but can still attack and cause permanent and irreparable damage to your data.
Information hacking
Hacking is yet another growing information security threat that has become common in recent times. Today, hackers sitting in any corner of the world can identify the vulnerabilities in your information systems.
Using these vulnerabilities or weak spots, they can access, deal, destroy, or copy critical information. This information can be used in any way by them, and it can prove to be severely damaging to the business.
Data privacy threats
Data privacy is among one of the top concerns for brands and businesses across the globe. Today, most businesses are growing their digital footprint on several fronts.
In the process, they collect personal information from their users and customers, who trust them with their data. However, the handling, security, and justifiable use of this information is a major concern for both the customers and the businesses.
Phishing attempts
Phishing is a clever and hard-to-detect information security threat. In a phishing attempt, the attacker impersonates as someone trusted within the organization.
This is achieved by accessing the organization’s email and data servers. As an impersonator, the attacker can easily fool not only the target, but also the whole information security system.
The attacker can then steal, damage, or destroy critical data.
What you can do?
Understanding the importance of information security and having sensed its need in your small business, let us tell you what steps you can take to protect your and your customers’ data.
- Take immediate preventive measures against virus, spyware and other malware by investing in anti-virus software.
- Establish an in-house and highly secure internet connection for use within the organization.
- Take measures to control physical access to computers and other systems in your organization. This is extremely important to prevent information leakage.
- Take active measures to train your employees in information handling and tell them about information security threats.
- Establish a reliable information support system and take regular backups of all critical information for restoration in case of loss of data.
Conclusion
Understanding and appreciating the need for information security for your small business is important.
Furthermore, taking these small steps in the direction of information security can prove to be a savior for the organization in the long run.