Today is Data Privacy Day.  This is an international effort to empower individuals and businesses to respect privacy, safeguard data and enable trust. 

Better privacy starts with better security.  Here are a few tips to enhance your own privacy by using better security. 

ENABLE MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

The best way to secure your online accounts is to enable multi-factor authentication on every platform you use.  We have written many articles on this essential tool to keep you and your business safe.  This one step can save you from being the easiest target on the web.  Here are a few of our past articles on multi-factor authentication:

• What is Multi-Factor Authentication?
• What You Need to Know About Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication
• Multi-Factor Authentication
• Safeguarding Your Systems and Devices During COVID-19

USE A PASSWORD MANAGER FOR ALL PASSWORDS

With billions of username and password combinations available on the dark web, it is more important than ever to use longer and unique passwords on all websites.  A program like LastPass, Dashlane, Keeper, & Bitwarden are all great for your own personal use and may also be used centrally for your business. However, it is recommended that you keep your personal password manager separate from your business password manager.  For small business we recommend OneLogin which has a combination password manager, single sign-on and identity management capabilities. 

RESPECT PRIVACY FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

Every business needs to market to their target customers.  If you are thinking about doing digital marketing or cold calling, ensure that you first have a privacy policy.  Once you have that policy, stick with it.  Many states now have data privacy and protection laws.  Europe has already implemented the right to be forgotten with GDPR.  Personal Information about customers is like money.  You should value it and protect it.  We recommend using a list system like HubSpot, MailChimp or other platform to keep track of your lists and allow customers to opt out of communications at any time.

ADOPT A PRIVACY FRAMEWORK

Ensure that you are building privacy into your business and adopt a framework to help manage risk and adopt a culture of privacy.  The following guide from NIST will help you build one quickly.  You can download it here. If you are already have a Cybersecurity frame work in place, this is an easy extension as privacy risks have some overlap. 

ASSESS YOUR RISKS WITH CONCENSUS

Concensus provides organizations with multi-layered security, network & security assessments, identity and access management along with IT managed services. 

In our latest eBook, we explain everything you need to know about MFA and how you can adopt this necessary security measure into your own business. Download our eBook here.