How to Protect Your Customers' Data

Cybersecurity is important for any business, but it's especially critical for businesses that store and process sensitive customer data. While companies may be aware of the need for customer data protection, many are still not taking adequate measures to protect it. This can have serious consequences for both consumers and businesses.

To help you keep customer’s personal information safe from cybercriminals, we've outlined five steps you can take to ensure the security of your organization's digital assets:

Step #1: Identify Your Customers' Sensitive Data

The first step of customer data protection for your client's sensitive personal information (SPI) is identifying what types of SPI exist in your organization and where it is stored. This includes PII (personally identifiable information) like names and addresses, as well as credit card numbers or Social Security numbers that could be used for identity theft.

It also includes any other type of information that could be valuable for criminals looking for ways to break into your systems — such as passwords or email addresses — or simply embarrass you publicly if it got out into the wild.

Step #2: Monitor Your Communication Channels

It's important to monitor all communication channels — not just email — that your customers use to contact you. If you don't have a way to track communications sent through social media or other platforms, you won't know if anyone is trying to steal your company's information through those channels.

Step #3: Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication helps prevent unauthorized access by requiring a second means of identification after an account has been accessed with a username and password. This can be accomplished in several ways: by sending an SMS message with a code that must be entered before access is granted, by using a hardware token that generates an authentication code, or by requesting a one-time passcode (OTP) via an app on your mobile phone.

Step #4: Evade Data Silos

Data silos are common in most businesses, but they can be a major threat to your customers' privacy. When different parts of your business use different systems, users may find themselves sharing the same data with multiple teams. This can lead to serious security breaches and other problems damaging your brand's reputation.

Step #5: Update Passwords Regularly

Your employees probably know better than anyone how easy it is to fall into destructive practices when it comes to passwords. They tend not to change them often enough and reuse them across multiple applications — including those that store confidential information like customer records or credit card numbers. Make sure you have strict policies requiring a regular password reset for every employee with sensitive data access.

These tips should be enough to help you get started on customer data protection, but more importantly, they should give you the confidence to continue down this path. There's no cookie-cutter solution for security. Different websites require different solutions and varying levels of protection. But you have the knowledge to build a truly secure site, and that's what's most important.