How Do You Protect Company Data from Viruses Attack?

The data collected and accumulated within a company is a real treasure much more valuable than you might imagine. It is a real bank of information and knowledge that allows the company to progress and grow gradually. It would be a real tragedy if important content were to disappear, be altered or be visible to malicious people. If the data were lost, it would be necessary to start from scratch to find most of the important information. This article will explain best practices in terms of data protection and data backup.

What Are the Risks of Viruses Attack?

The main dangers associated with poor security are data loss , data access of people who should not and data corruption . Regarding data loss, which is much more common than you might think, here are some typical cases that could occur:

Hard drive crash or miscellaneous failure
Mishandling
Computer attack
Theft of computer equipment
Virus
Fire / flood

We tend to believe that these phenomena only happen to others. But it only takes once to radically change your mind about it. Imagine the lost time and the impact on the image of the company if a customer database were to disappear. Likewise, imagine what might happen to you if a competitor had access to your detailed financial reports.

How to Protect Data From Viruses Attack?

To fight against the main risks mentioned above, there is a list of good practices to be respected, which we will try to summarize and group into separate categories:

(1)Protection of Physical Access:

Secure physical access to equipment
Note entry and exit to the premises
Set up appropriate anti-theft systems on computer equipment
Set up a video surveillance system
Use a security company

(2)Crash and Failure Protection:

Buy quality computer equipment
Perform good equipment monitoring
Do not carry out installations not foreseen by the equipment
Have a multi-outlet protected against surges (protection against thunderstorms)

(3)Protection Against Viruses and Computer Attacks:

Set up well-chosen and sufficiently complicated passwords
Install the appropriate antivirus software (see also anti-spyware, anti-malware, etc.)
Setting up a firewall
Pay attention to what is downloaded and installed (example: avoiding downloading software from unsavory sources)
Check that the USB keys that connect to the hardware do not contain viruses
Use an operating system that receives fewer attacks, such as a Linux distribution
Put in place all the necessary protections against computer attacks from outside
Record all untimely connections on computer hardware

(4)Educate Employees:

When a user walks away from their computer, ask them to block access to their computer
Monitor the arrival of individuals that no one knows

How Backup Systems is One of the Best Protection Measures?

The previous recommendations are mainly used to prevent the danger, it is still necessary to provide a backup system to prepare for the worst case scenario. These backups must be done fairly regularly. To know the right backup frequency, ask yourself the equivalent of time you would be willing to waste: 24 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks or even 1 month?

Several possibilities are available to you regarding the backup method:

(1)External Hard Drive: easy to manage, just plug in the external hard drive and transfer the data to be recorded. With a large capacity, the backup of several computer stations can be managed at the same time. Quick tip: IT tools can automate the backup process.

(2)USB Stick: similar to hard drive, except that the stick is smaller and has a lower capacity. It is more convenient to provide a backup USB key for each computer station. It is also more practical to store USB keys in a safe, for example.

(3)Burn to CD / DVD: a little more restrictive method because writing to the CD can take a little more time than copying / pasting files on a USB key. Consider choosing rewritable CDs / DVDs to be able to overwrite the data from the previous backup and avoid spending a fortune on CDs.

(4)Computer Dedicated to Backups: economical method that consists of recycling an old computer to save data. This “system D” makes it possible to limit the purchase of new equipment. In addition, this computer can be connected to the corporate network so that each employee can transfer their backups to it whenever they want.

(5)Backup Server / Private Cloud: potentially a bit technical, a server can be used to retrieve backups in the same way as a computer dedicated to backups. Some systems improve and facilitate data synchronization. The main advantage is that the server can be located outside the company with a dedicated host. Thus, the data is secure even in the event of fire, flood or burglary.

(6)Software in SaaS Mode: some solutions such as Dropbox or Google Drive allow a real archiving and recording service in the cloud through a specific user space. Again, the advantage is that the data is hosted outside the company. The other positive point being that these SaaS software are not only intended to serve as a backup, they are also powerful tools to give access to a resource to all employees and to promote access to the resources of the company from any medium (Windows computer, Mac, Linux, Tablet, Android smartphone, iOS smartphone, etc.).

Note: in the case of a physical backup medium (external hard drive, USB keys, CD / DVD, etc.), it must be possible to put them in a safe place, outside the company. A safe located at the company will not protect these media if there is a fire in the premises. You also have to be careful that one of the backups does not disappear. Without daily monitoring, it is too easy for a malicious employee to steal a USB drive containing confidential information. Even if the USB key is returned the next day, it will have had time to be copied.

What Are the Common Awarness to Protect Data From Viruses Attack?

Cloud archiving is not just about the simple files you have on your computer. Other resources should be taken into account:

Emails: there are solutions to save emails. Find out about the solution you have adopted for managing your emails.

Business software: some software records information in a format that only the software can read. Learn about the export features and how the software logs data.

Unique reports available in paper format: scanning all the paper sheets would make it possible to dematerialize the information but would require an imposing time. Making a photocopy would be expensive and not environmentally friendly. The method of working might need to be changed, for example by using an application on a smartphone or tablet.

Photos: A digital camera is sometimes used to take a photo of construction sites. It is a good idea to use a digital device or smartphone with a WiFi connection to easily synchronize photos. A smartphone will even be able to use an application that will automatically save photos to the cloud.

Control Which Resources Generate the Most Data

Some resources generate more content than others. Backing up all of the data doesn’t necessarily make sense. For information, the CNIL imposes certain time restrictions in the storage of data. It is also smart to check which resources will cause your backup files to swell the most. Information overload is not necessarily the key.

Conclusion

Finally, it is important to end with something a little more reassuring than the whole of this article. We must not forget that unfortunate situations are rare. Foresight is good, but you have to keep a cool head and continue to devote most of your time to running the business. So think about predicting the worst, but automating as many things as possible. Also better to try one good enterprise antivirus software to forget about virus attack and continue your hassel free business.