10 Ways to Protect Your Customer Data in a Growing Digital World

What is one preventative measure you are taking to better protect your customers in a growing digital world?

To help you best protect your customer data, we asked CISOs and business leaders this question for their best insights. From limiting access to the data to running automatic login audits, there are several measures recommended to help you keep your customers’ data secure in all digital operations of your business.

Here are 10 ways to protect your customer data in a growing digital world:

• Limit Access To The Data

• Use Encryption

• Protect Your Cloud Content and Use Common Sense

• Keep Your Software Up-to-Date

• Enforce Password Rules

• Minimize Data Collection and Retention

• Use Strong Intrusion Detection Systems

• Implement a Trustworthy Security Policy

• Update Your Staff Regularly on Security Risks

• Run Automatic Login Audits

Limit Access To the Data

Not everyone in our team needs access to all the customer data we are collecting. Therefore, we limit the type of data that is available to employees based on their job. So our marketing team does not get the data that our copywriting teams get. This is not only a preventive measure to protect the critical customer data but also frees the employees from irrelevant data. Moreover, we limit the number of access points to the data. Our marketing team consists of 25 members but providing each of them access to the data will make us twenty-five times more vulnerable to a brute-force attack. Therefore, we keep our access points as limited as possible; generally, each department has a single access point that is easy to monitor for any attacks or internal data abuse.

Antreas Koutis, Financer

Use Encryption

Make your customer’s private information so secure that you can't even see it! Encryption blocks out your customer’s sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, except for small identifying information. Payment processors such as TSYS and Authorize.net allow this option for subscription model customers so that they can have charges directly to their card while keeping their information secure.

Chris Vaughn, Emjay

Protect Your Cloud Content and Use Common Sense

Working with web development of mid-to-small businesses, we have always recommended our customers to take a proactive approach when it comes to protecting their chosen cloud software from cyber attacks, viruses, and ransomware, since in our own experience, it has been a lifesaver. This can take quite some work, but the most basic actions we recommend entering the new year are security training for all the employees who might have access to the cloud, choosing software that comes with pre-installed security protocols, and exercising common sense when it comes to surfing the web (like for example using VPNs and antivirus protected devices).

Brenton Thomas, Twibi Digital Marketing Agency

Keep Your Software Up-to-Date

One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your cyber security is to ensure that all of the software on your computers is kept up to date. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for vulnerabilities in software that they can exploit, so it is important to patch these vulnerabilities as soon as possible. Many companies choose to automate their patch management process using a tool such as WSUS (Windows Server Update Services).

Peter Lucas, Relocate to Andorra

Enforce Password Rules

When it comes to protecting your data, strong passwords are an important first line of protection. However, most employees are reluctant to change their passwords, even if they are urged to do so. It is imperative that passwords are changed frequently and that users are taught how to establish and store strong passwords.

Ayman Zaidi, GreatPeopleSearch

Minimize Data Collection and Retention

One way we are better protecting our customers in a digital world is by minimizing the data we collect and retain. We strive to only collect the necessary data to deliver our services to customers. Many companies hold onto data long past its usefulness and that leaves customers open to potential data breaches. There is no need to retain data once it has been utilized for its intended purpose.

Sasha Ramani, MPOWER Financing

Use Strong Intrusion Detection Systems

IDS, or intrusion detection systems can help businesses know when their sensitive customer data is in danger of being stolen. With online business continuously on the rise, criminal activity in regards to data theft is always quickly following. Businesses have a duty to make sure they take every precaution in protecting their customers' data.  Intrusion detection systems let businesses know when unauthorized access happens on their networks. Combined with other preventive measures, a comprehensive IDS is among the best ways to protect customers from malicious activity.

Alex Chavarry, Cool Links

Implement a Trustworthy Security Policy

Customer data needs to be protected at all costs. Therefore, we have implemented a security policy that ensures that our customers can trust us. The policy outlines how we protect customer data and respond to security breaches. Additionally, it outlines the consequences of violating our policies. All our employees are trained to understand every aspect of the security policy.

Ivy Bosibori, USBadCreditLoans

Update Your Staff Regularly on Security Risks

An effective method of protecting our customers is by creating meetings and presentations for staff to keep everyone up to date on security risks. Discussing preventative measures and useful online security tools helps ensure our company and clients' information is kept secure. As cyber attack methods change it's best to keep employees alert and aware of the appropriate protocol for suspicious online activity. Our customers trust our company and employees to give them the respect to protect their privacy while giving them a safe and innovative product.

Sean Byrne, Sweetkick

Run Automatic Login Audits

As a fintech company, we find ourselves in an industry where cyber misconduct always lurks, hence the need for extra vigilance. At Loansjury, we've taken it upon ourselves to protect our subscribers by running an automated login audit each time someone logs into an account. This audit establishes within seconds whether the person accessing an account is authorized to. Additionally, it comes with a two-factor authentication feature that ensures all our customers get to authenticate any login attempt. If not initiated by the account holder, access is not allowed.

Mehtab Ahmed, LoansJury

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