Data Protection Within a Business Environment

March 1st, 2014 by Rossy Guide

Millions of businesses

Thousands of businesses lose millions of dollars worth of data to fire, power outages, theft, equipment failure, and even simple operator mistakes.  Studies show that nearly half the companies that lose their data in a disaster never reopen.  Ninety percent of these data losses occur because of power failures, lightning, user mistakes, and other hardware and software failures. Contact us today about data protection.

Most business owners would be appalled if they knew the risk they are taking by failing to properly back up their data.  It’s more important than ever to protect the data your business depends on with a solid backup strategy.  That’s where we can help. We provide a secure, automatic and inexpensive solution that can make sure your critical data is fully protected.

Important information

Rules that apply to all businesses

– All personal information must be used for limited purposes and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
– The information must be the minimum that is required to deliver the service.
– The information is accurate.
– The information is secure.
– You should not keep the information for longer than is necessary.
– The information must not be transferred to other countries that do not have adequate data protection laws.

Keeping information secure

Whenever you collect information about an individual you are automatically obligated to ensure that the information remains secure. If you are storing information electronically then you must ensure the systems which you utilize to do this are safe and secure. You should also ensure that once the information is no longer needed to deliver the service to the customer the information is erased or destroyed.

The customer’s rights

If you hold personal information about an individual or business then they has a right to request a copy of all the information you hold about them, you may charge up to £10 to the customer as an administration fee for providing this information. This is known as a ‘Subject Access Request’ and must be made in writing by the customer. The information must be presented to the customer in a clear legible format and delivered with 40 days of making the request.

Privacy Statements

A privacy statement is a written notice that is made available to all users of your service and clearly defines how personal information will be collected, stored, utilized and disposed of.

Risks

Good health and safety practice makes sound business sense. You can:

– Protect your workers from the suffering caused by accidents
– Reduce employee absences and sick leave
– Potentially reduce your insurance premium
– Protect your business against the unforeseeable
– Maintain your organization’s reputation

Security

Securing your business’s data is not easy, and it takes expertise. Here are eight simple things you can do to protect your business data:

– Conduct a security audit
– Make staff aware of the important role they play in security
– Use strong and multiple passwords
– Encrypt your data
– Back up
– Have security policies
– Protect your mobile work force
– Implement a multiple-security-technology solution.

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