Currently, we’re living in the digital age. Notebooks have been replaced by smartphones and devices. Planners have turned into mobile applications. Important documents are now being exchanged and stored online. This innovation has proven to be very beneficial, as it’s more convenient and easier now to keep track of and access files. But it doesn’t mean that it’s secure. The advent of technology has given rise to data theft and breaches of privacy, among others. It’s all the more difficult now to keep data secure, as one click of a button could wipe out all your files. So how do you secure important data and documents in the digital age? Here are some tips.
Encrypt your email
The digital space is not the most secure place to exchange and transfer sensitive information. Hackers are prevalent nowadays, and they try to illegally access your email accounts to obtain confidential information such as your credit card number, for example. This unethical practice has become quite common. That’s why businesses are encrypting their emails. Email encryption scrambles data you exchange online so that it becomes unreadable except to the authorized sender and receiver. So no matter what sensitive information you share, you have an extra layer of protection against unauthorized readers.
Install an anti-virus software
The most common culprit in digital data and information loss are viruses. Once your computer or device obtains a dangerous virus, all your data is at risk of being deleted or falling into the wrong hands. Computer viruses can destroy devices too and stop them from functioning. That’s why you have to invest in anti-virus software that can track and kill viruses trying to damage your computer.
Backup your data
This is the most obvious solution to prevent losing important data. However, it is surprisingly the most neglected. Backing up your data ensures that you have a spare copy of all important documents in case of loss, theft, or compromise. Time and time again, it has proven to be the most effective data protection strategy. Make it a habit to have two or more copies of important documents, which you store on different devices. If you have a lot of important data sent through text messages, you should invest in text message archiving solutions to make sure you don’t lose them. For added protection, print out important documents and have several hard copies in hand.
Make use of cloud storage
Be sure that you have important documents and data stored in a cloud. This is the most ideal storage solution. That’s because you can access your data on any device at any time. So in case your computer is compromised or destroyed, you can still retrieve your documents. However, when making use of cloud storage, make sure you also have additional sound security practices to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.
Overwrite deleted files
This security measure, when translated out of the digital world, is like shredding documents so no one can read them. When you delete a file on your computer, it’s very unlikely that they’re permanently deleted. Chances are, they’re still stored in a disk somewhere, which means it can still be accessed by anyone who’s proficient in computers and software. Don’t underestimate the power of hackers and computer savvy-intruders. To make sure you permanently delete old documents, use tools that will help you overwrite old data. Storing important data and information in the digital realm opens it up to a lot of security risks. Make sure you’re taking the extra effort to protect your digital information from loss, data theft, and other security breaches.
