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The current global outbreak and new technological breakthroughs are changing how people work today. The days of having a designated desk with a computer are over. Currently, 55% of businesses worldwide offer some way to work remotely or in a mixed way.
Because of this change allows workers to use computers, tablets, and smartphones to access work-related data and software apps. The number of gadgets used keeps increasing: In 2019, workers used an average of three tools, but by 2024, they will use an average of four.
More than half of employees use their computers and phones to access company data and often use public Wi-Fi or other insecure networks. Accessing private information on networks or devices that are not safe raises hacking risks like data theft, ransomware, and viruses.
Cybersecurity attacks against businesses keep getting worse.
Cyber threats are getting worse and more frequent. By September 2021, there will have been more than 17% more data breaches than in all of 2020. Cyberattacks also went up by 27% last year. When online work was involved in an attack, it cost companies an average of $1 million more.
Cyberattacks are a real danger regarding file storage, which is how you store and organize data on a hard drive or another storage device. Employees who must move files between work and home often use portable devices like flash drives to store them. However, this makes businesses more exposed to cyber threats.
Even though these devices are often necessary for sharing and storing files, they pose many privacy risks because they are easy to lose, break into, or steal. Employees also often bring their personal flash drives or USB devices to work, which might not be as safe as devices owned and managed by the company.
Because of this, confidential information should never be stored in employee-owned solutions or business ones. Instead, organizations should look for enterprise-level file-storing options that meet the needs of their business and the law. Depending on the type of business and how strict its standards are, these storage needs will be different.
Administrative controls to handle access and permissions
No issue with what type of business you run or what field you work in; keeping track of who can access what info is important. IT managers have more control over user rights like password methods and security levels with a safe file storage option.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA), which uses PINs, passwords, fingerprints, and verification codes to enter devices, systems, or files, is often part of secure file storage. This extra layer of security cuts the chance of illegal entry by up to 99%, making it less likely that data will be exposed or lost.
Secure file storage doesn't use shared passwords for groups of users. Instead, each person has their credentials. This makes each user more accountable and less likely that person will make a mistake, which can happen when certain entry levels are not set up.
Secure file storing and sharing also use "least privilege access" methods, ensuring that each person only has the access rights they need to do their jobs. Administrators can use custom controls to give better access controls when they need to quickly. After a job is done, these entry controls can be removed immediately.
Industry-Specific, Military-Grade Encryption & Compliance
Employees may be familiar with business solutions for file sharing and storing that are made to make things easier for users. Even though these solutions often offer enough space for personal accounts, they don't have built-in security settings for backing up and accessing files.
Most of the time, these advert-grade platforms also lack the specific safety features needed in businesses with many rules. Some of the most popular rules to follow are the following:
● It says that companies that handle user data must follow its rules. Some things that must be done to meet the requirements are controlling access control, securing user data transfers, setting up strong password rules, and keeping an eye on who has access to data and network resources.
● Statement of Standards for Attestation Engagements 18 (SSAE 18) says that technology companies and service providers can be audited. Service Organization Control (SOC) reports, which discuss data protection, processing stability, and system security, are based on SSAE 18.
● HIPAA has rules about protecting Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI), which is any information that can be used to determine who a person is. Organizations must find and protect against real and expected security threats so that systems aren't used without permission and personal information isn't shared without permission.
● System and Organization Controls must be followed by finance companies or companies that send their finance-related work to third-party providers. Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) use the SOC and its rules to ensure that any outsourced data keeping follows industry standards.
The Federal Data Processing Standards (FIPS) say all businesses should use military-grade security. This is true no matter their field or the rules they must follow. FIPS is the standard for sending secret information. When a company follows the rules for data protection, computer networks, encryption, and decoding, it is said to be FIPS compliant. After going through a tough review process, organizations can get FIPS approval.
Strong encryption protocols for both in-transit and at-rest data
All private files should be protected to keep them safer. Encryption is turning data into code that hackers can't figure out. Encryption also helps people follow the rules. Both sending and receiving files should be secured.
In transit, security keeps data safe as it goes from one place to another, like when an email is sent. At-rest security stops hackers from recovering a backup to a server that isn't secure, making a copy of the database and its files, or adding these files to another server that isn't secure.
Off-the-shelf, consumer-level systems may offer some security, but they usually don't let you change them much. This lack of flexibility can make these systems hard for IT managers, who already have to deal with new problems when protecting systems and data because of the rise of online work and the number of devices used to do it.
Data Backups to Stop Loss
As saving up data becomes an important part of business technology, the amount of data that needs to be stored grows. In 2020, there were 260 million units of data storage. In 2021, there will be 2.9 billion units. A secure file-storing system will make business-critical jobs, like protecting files locally, easier to do by automating them.
Cloud-based file storage simplifies the backup process, and policies like Windows Information Protection (WIP) assist in keeping business data safe on devices owned by employees and the company. IT workers can use WIP to add identifiers to corporate data that cause automatic data protection when files are obtained from or saved to a company's storage solution.
These features make it less likely for people to make mistakes, like forgetting to back up their data. Most enterprise-level storage options offer on-site and cloud backups to keep files safe and easy for approved users to access. Adding this duplication to storage systems keeps data from being lost if one way of storing it is broken.
Long-term data storage requirements
There may be rules in an industry that says data has to be kept for a certain amount of time. Some examples of data security standards linked to a business are:
● HIPAA says that some medical information must be kept for at least six years by healthcare organizations. State rules may also tell healthcare companies how long to keep medical records.
● OSHA requires companies to keep records of former employees for at least a decade after they leave. It also says that companies must keep records of medical risk for 30 years.
● SOX, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. SOX says that all businesses must keep records for at least five years. This includes computer records like files.
Also, many privacy and data protection laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union and the California Consumer Privacy Act, have rules about how long data must be kept that are not industry-specific. So, societies must find ways to store data that can keep it safe for a long time.