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Joyce Morse

Joyce Morse is an author who writes on a variety of topics, including finance and running a small business.

Joyce Morse has written 26 articles for SB Informer.
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Is Your Customer Data Truly Secure in 2015?

Joyce Morse

July 27, 2015


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With the use of more data to personalize customers' experience with companies, the concern over data security continues to grow.

When you hear of big names like Home Depot, Anthem and JP Morgan becoming victims of data breach, you wonder how the smaller companies can possibly protect their customers.

You can take several steps to give your customers peace of mind and protect your small business from liability.

Don't Forget about Paper

Even in the age of paperless transactions, there is a lot of paper floating around. These documents are vulnerable to theft if you don't take a proactive approach.

Lock up all documents and log the names of people who access them. Limit accessibility to certain documents to specific staff members or positions.

Lock the rooms where data is kept and limit access. Set up security where everyone has a unique login to provide more information if a breach should occur.

These steps are also a great idea for electronic data.

Train Employees on Data Safety

Make your staff members more aware of possible security breaches.

Teach them how to protect data and provide ongoing training in refresher courses. Provide rewards to employees who report suspicious activity, whether it comes from someone internally or someone on the outside posing as a customer or vendor.

Review your hiring procedures to ensure that you following the best protocol for hiring only responsible, honest employees.

Implement criminal or credit background checks if you feel that it will enhance security.

Know Your Vendors

Follow the same idea as with employees when it comes to your vendors.

Check references and referrals to ensure you have trustworthy vendors. Make sure they have the best security for their business, especially if they are handling sensitive customer information.

You should check security onsite as well as finding about online security. Don't hesitate to ask about their procedures for protecting information you provide to them.

After all, it is your reputation that will be ruined with your customers whether it is your fault or the fault of your vendors that leads to compromised data.

Have a Plan in Place

As the following article looks at, no matter how diligent you are with customer data, there is always a risk of data theft. The faster you react, the less damage that will occur.

Make sure you have a written plan in place if such a thing should happen.

Train your employees, especially your managers, on the plan so that it can be put in effect immediately to limit the damage.

Part of this plan should be how you will inform customers. You want to be the one to tell them of any security breach before they hear about it on the news.

You also want to be able to reassure them that it is being handled in the best manner possible.

While the ability to access, store and retrieve data faster is a benefit to many small businesses today, it also creates more responsibility on the part of the companies to protect their customers.


                   



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