Securing your data is an important part of protecting your business assets. While you may not consider data to be an asset, consider what the cost of recovering lost or stolen data would be. The cost to your business could be just a few hours of time spent recovering data or numerous fees if your vertical market is compliancy regulated. IT outsourcing companies such as Waypoint Solutions Group can help you secure your data and protect it like the business asset it is.

How It’s Done

IT services providers such as Waypoint Solutions Group recommend that proprietary data be secured by following a standardized routine that includes several basic steps. The steps are as follows:

	Perform a risk assessment – IT companies can help you construct a risk assessment that will help you define your data assets, assess potential risks, and create a plan to secure your data.
	Create an acceptable use policy – Once your assessment is complete, an IT services provider can help you create a policy that identifies what end users can do with your business’s computer information systems.
	Create a security policy – After you have an acceptable use policy in place, an IT support company such as Waypoint Solutions Group can help you construct a security policy. This policy will define how your IT systems are set up, how they are protected, and how they must be maintained. This policy should be applicable to all of your company’s in-house IT technicians as well as all of your IT outsourcing providers.
	Create a password policy -IT support companies like Waypoint Solutions Group can help you create a policy that regulates password creation. A strong password should be:

	Nonsense words or word phrases that are not found in a dictionary
	Combination of upper and lower case letters
	Combination of letters, numbers, and symbols
	At least nine alphanumeric characters long

	Free of personal information such as : birth dates, anniversary dates, social security numbers, phone numbers, etc.
	Offer training To protect your data assets, it is important to provide security training to new employees and to also offer annual security re-training. IT companies such as Waypoint Solutions Group can help you create and administer a training program that advises users on your company’s usage, security, and password policies as well as keep your corporation up-to-date on the newest security risks.
	Encrypt critical data – IT support companies like Waypoint Solutions Group can help you select the best methods to encrypt proprietary business data. Encryption programs should be in place for the following:

	Email
	Backup tapes and other media
	Laptops
	Server data

	Track data assets - IT consulting companies can help you track and manage your business’s IT environment. IT companies such as Waypoint Solutions Group suggest that you keep track of your data, the location where it resides (server, hosted solution, removable storage device, etc.) and also which IT systems access that data on a regular basis.
	Layer your security -Your data assets need to be protected with a layered security solution. It consulting companies like Waypoint Solutions Group can help you choose the best set of security solutions to protect your IT environment and your data.

Learn More

Regardless of your vertical market, your business relies on proprietary data being secure from external attacks and internal abuse. IT consulting companies like Waypoint Solutions Group can help you create a layered defense that secures your business’s data assets. To learn more about securing your data, please contact Waypoint Solutions Group at (877) 483-2794.