As they say, prevention is better than cure.

We cannot deny the fact that in the recent years that technology has flourished in the country, data breaching has inevitably become widespread in the Philippines, especially among small to medium enterprise markets. And although we cannot directly figure out the root cause behind every breaching activity, we can prevent this from happening so that start-up owners can feel a sense of security within businesses. One of the best options to prevent data breach is to get ample business support from our back offices. Here’s how:

1. It is all about control.

Data can be accessed all too easily. It can be transferred, replaced, deleted, and stolen. It is crucial to control who has access to your enterprise’s most critical data. The way to go is to constantly monitor those given access so you would know if there are unauthorized individuals trying to access your data. Also, be sure to back up all the important data.

Important data include anything from financial information to consumer information. Appraise which is which – which data would be the most sought by cyber criminals like credit card numbers or SSS numbers. Do not hesitate to ask your back office to help you figure out what needs to be protected.

2.  Don’t rely on others. Rely on your own back office.

To further develop your cybersecurity, whether you are a small to medium enterprise or a big one in the Philippines – it is vital to really involve everyone in your back office. Involvement is everything. Do not operate solo. Give your employees regular updates, training, and proper education on how they can protect data.

Don’t put your whole trust on agencies like Security and Exchange Commission, because even though they are implementing active efforts to address cybersecurity threats you still have to scrutinize third parties scrupulously. More so, have your back office criticize how these agencies are protecting your data and complying with privacy laws.

Remember, it’s better to be cautious than sorry.

3.  Encryption is a tool.

Yes, encryption won’t protect your data from being intercepted, but it can safeguard contents from getting read – which is basically as important. Whether it is from your computer drive, flash drives, or mobile platforms, all critical data should be encrypted. Make sure all your devices and key accounts are locked with an extremely strong password.

4.  Try storing your data in the cloud.

There is indeed a lot of speculations on whether your data is less vulnerable from breaches when it is in the cloud — well, cloud providers spend every single day worrying over protecting your data. Forbes’ columnist Eric Savitz says, “Cloud software companies, knowing the implications of a crash on their business’ bottom line, invest significant resources into insuring that such a disaster never occurs. Cloud computing companies can invest far more resources in data backup and security than your business can.”

So yes, you should absolutely use cloud.

At the end of the day, it’s all about prevention from the inside. When it comes to data breaches here in the Philippines, everyone is at risk, from small to medium enterprises to big ones. The back office should be united as one in implementing utmost security in the Internet.

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This article is exclusively written for SecurityMatters by Booth and Partners, a trusted outsourcing company in the Philippines that offers Business and Customer Support, Lead Generation, and Virtual Assistance for small to medium enterprise markets.