It’s National Data Security. Did you even know that was a thing? Learning something new every day, right? Well good. So I think we should treat this day like we treat daylight savings time each year. You know on those two days a year it’s ingrained in our subconscious to change the batteries in our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors so we never run into an issue where we are caught in an emergency and the alarms don’t work because we hadn’t changed the batteries in the past 5 years.
Here are a few suggestions on things you can do today to protect yourself and your business:
Update all of your passwords. I know it’s a pain to try to remember all new passwords but your business will thank you later. There is nothing worse than your emails, website or even bank accounts being hacked. You don’t want strangers to have the ability to send out bogus emails or blog posts on your behalf.
Check your account notification process. A few months back someone attempted to steal my identity through my cell phone carrier. Not sure how they were able to get into my account but they made a series of changes including updated my address and email address. Luckily for me I had text notifications setup on my account so with every change that was made; I received a message and was able to change everything on my account before any damage was done.
Review and update your account information. Today is a great day to make sure that all your email, phone number and billing address is up to date. These pieces of information are often used as a first line of defense for confirming your identity whether online, in person or over the phone.
Use a program that generates passwords and keeps them secure on your computer. This is feature is especially useful for entrepreneurs with a team. Programs such as Last Pass and Common Key will generate passwords for you to share with your team. This makes it easier to restrict access as team members leave your organization without you having to change your main password every single time you add or remove team members.
Create a data/password security process for your company. You knew there was no way I was going to talk about this topic and not throw in something about process creation and documentation, right? Right! So here is a good starting place, create a password document and even is if your business now is just a party of one, we are planning for growth. This can be a simple spreadsheet that includes the Account, website, login, password (I often don’t put the actual password here, but instead a clue that makes sense to only me) and what the account is for. Also include what types of people in your organization would need access to this account (think position on specific person). On your team on-boarding (and exit) checklist, make sure you include which sites you are giving them access to so you are aware what accounts to revoke access to after their departure. If possible I would suggest holding off giving access to most accounts after a minimum of 30 days just to see how you work together.
So I guess you all know what’s at the top of my to-do list for the day. These are just a few suggestions, if you have any additional ones, I’d love to know about them so we can all stay safe and protected.
As Your Next Big Move Catalyst, Twanna has worked as THE Business & Project Strategist for Empress Business Solutions. For more than 5 years, she’s worked exclusively with solopreneurs to start and grow their businesses. For more tips on how to stay more productive and motivated in business, please sign up for our newsletter.
