1. Personal and professional borders.
Convenience often compromises security. A recent trend is having employees bring their own devices rather than providing company laptops and phones. However easy this may sound, it creates a large window of opportunity for company data to get in the wrong hands. Furthermore, when an employee leaves the organization it makes it increasingly hard to ensure that no sensitive corporate data has been stored on the device.
2. Ignoring two-step authentication.
Two-step authentication is a sure fire way to add an extra layer of security and its easy too. Some are as simple as having a code sent to your iphone while others allow you to confirm your identity with the tap of a finger. Password breaching is becoming more and more common, it is wise to beef up password security up front rather than pay the consequences later on.
3. Insufficient exit protocols.
Companies that depend on part time and freelance employees are often less established in their exit procedures once an employee has left the organization. It is important to have a set of protocols in line so a uniform method is in order. When sensitive data is left on personal employee devices, data loss, account access and information sharing is most certainly in the future. Don’t let this be you! It may not even be the malicious intent of the employee, perhaps they aren’t the data has left with them. Either way, data loss has occurred and sensitive data is out there unprotected, and unmanaged. Make policies known, and if you don’t have data policies and security guidelines in place consider adding this to your organization.
4. Forgoing SSL from the beginning.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is easily implementable from day one. It should be enabled by default in every website. It reassures your users, while upgrading the security level of your communications.
5. Failing to prioritize security.
Security is often something that startups think can be left untouched until a later date or when the company has reached success. Security should be implemented from day one not only to protect your organization but to protect client information. Security is not a gray area, it should be just as important as payroll, HR, financing, etc. Don’t ignore security best practices, and make sure to stay current on the latest security software and updates to protect your organization from attack.
6. No internal policies and infrastructure.
If you think about it, startups have a great position regarding data security because they have the opportunity to apply the most current and best industry practices from the start. No outdated systems or struggle to get employees on board with new internal policies. One mistake often made by startups is not giving enough attention to internal policies. Invest adequate resources in the infrastructure of your organization, what equipment for you need? How will you manage IT security? Software? Think about proactive responses rather than ignoring the obvious.
7. No suspicious activity notifications.
What will you do if your organization is attacked and all your data is either encrypted or lost entirely? How will this affect you financially? One breach can take you from quick stardom to barely making it by. Don’t let this be you! Stay on top of information security.
If you would like to educate yourself in more detail about the information presented in this blog post please visit: 10 Data Security Mistakes Startups Can’t Afford to Make
