In today’s ever-evolving technological world, businesses must constantly adapt their systems and strategies to fit the digitized marketplace. As businesses embrace new technological trends, they can make more informed decisions, improve customer experiences, and operate more efficiently. But this digital landscape is not without risk. While technology has created an incredible opportunity for businesses, it has also opened up an opportunity for outsiders to wrongfully access a wealth of data and information.

Companies are now becoming increasingly interested in security technologies to mitigate data risks and provide a safe computing environment for their customers and staff. According to Gartner, Inc., security spending worldwide was $75 billion last year alone. They estimate that number to reach $101 billion by 2018 and $170 billion by 2020.

While different businesses require different strategies to keep data secure, these three tips can help minimize the digital security risk to your business.

Analyze the security risks involved in your business.

Different businesses have different types of information, so it is important to consider the specific security risks that face your business before putting a plan in place. Ask yourself, “What kind of cyber attack is most detrimental to this company?”

For example, if your business data includes customer invoice information, you might be more concerned with the hacker altering or corrupting the data, as opposed to the hacker secretly monitoring your data. However, if your business regularly communicates with each other over a network, data monitoring might be a primary concern as a hacker could access confidential information.

Train Your Employees About Security

Educate your employees about the digital threats that face your business and the importance of good safety practices. You may think it’s obvious to always use strong passwords and never open links sent from unknown email addresses, but someone else may not think about the importance of those tactics.

Be Proactive

Businesses can no longer rely on an “It won’t happen to us” attitude; they need a proactive and strategized approach that extends beyond protection. It must be a continual process of monitoring, alerting, and updating to prevent attacks and minimize impact. Don’t wait for disaster to strike to realize the importance of data security.

Data theft poses a huge threat that can cause irreversible damage to a company. If your company is interested in a more proactive security approach in 2016, Worldlink can help. We offer ongoing security and compliance auditing and work together with your company, so you can rest assured your data remains in the right hands.

Have more helpful tips or best practices for keeping your data safe? Tell us in the comments below or contact us directly! We’d love to hear from you.