4 Effective Ways To Protect Your Customer Data

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Customers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their personal data in the wake of recent data breaches. According to a recent study, 88% of customers are more willing to share their personal information if they trust a business to keep them safe. You don’t want to deal with a data breach, especially when your business relies on customer data and analytics for developing marketing campaigns and anticipating customers’ needs. On that note, here are four effective ways to protect your customer data. 

• Remove unnecessary data 

It is almost impossible for customer data to leak if it doesn’t exist. It is pointless to keep data you don’t need, so you should consider removing customer files and information you don’t need anymore to keep away from hackers. Instead of leaving files on your computer when you no longer need them, delete and perhaps destroy them with a file shredder. For example, you may no longer have use for a customer’s personally identifiable data like Driver’s license, health information, or SIN number. However, these can be useful for a hacker. Also, consider installing a system that automatically removes expired or unwanted files for the best data protection. 

• Keep your software updated

It is common to postpone software updates for later, increasing your risk of breach or attack. Hackers are relentless and constantly looking for ways to exploit your system vulnerabilities. Updating your software may be costly and time-consuming, but it can yield significant security benefits. Putting off your software or data updates risks your business reputation and client privacy. 

• Data encryption 

While data encryption may appear to be a no-brainer, a study suggests that fewer than 30% of businesses use it. This is very concerning in the wake of recent data breaches. Some payment providers indeed require retailers to encrypt their card details during transactions, and this information is stored on business servers. So the lack of robust encryption technologies at your business’ end may leave the data vulnerable to breach. Using a hosted payment solution has proved one of the secure ways for clients to pay by allowing them to put their details on a secured payment site rather than your website. This makes it a good idea to learn how to enable a hosted payment page for your ecommerce business. 

• Restrict data access 

Make customer data accessible to only your trusted staff and business partners. While it is okay to keep customer data in file cabinets, on your computers, or online tools, ensure that passwords, keys, and codes are assessable to only a few people. Additionally, you want to be careful about who can access and use customer data and ensure to revoke them immediately they leave the organization. This way, you reduce the risks of a data breach or leak by unauthorized staff and former employees. 

There are several strategies to boost your business sales and growth. However, customer privacy and data safety are key for expanding your business. The tips here are a good place to start.