Introduction:

Customer data is essential to everyday business, helping improve user experiences and reach new customers. But how we collect, store, and use customer data has become a considerable cybersecurity concern. That’s because cybercriminals often attack companies to steal sensitive customer information. 

So, how exactly do you keep customer data safe? This article will guide you through the best ways of ensuring sensitive business data is kept secure and doesn’t fall into the hands of criminals. 

7 Easy Ways to Manage Customer Data Safely 

Protecting customer data is now an essential part of the business. If breached, you stand to lose both legal fees and status. 

In 2017, for example, credit reporting agency Equifax had a data breach where the personal information of over 147 million people was breached. The result? A monumental settlement and substantial reputational damage. 

Below are seven ways to help work with customer data safely and securely. 

1. Familiarize yourself with country regulations 

Firstly, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the legal requirements expected from you concerning customer data. These rules ultimately dictate whether you’re doing enough to safeguard information. 

The laws you must follow ultimately depend on the location of your customers. If, for example, your customers are in Europe, then you’ll need to adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

This ruling stipulates many things, including providing staff training staff, gaining consent from customers, maintaining detailed documentation, as well as reporting data breaches promptly. 

While there is no single data protection legislation in the USA, the country does have hundreds of federal and state laws that aim to protect consumers against deceptive

practices around privacy and regulate how companies collect, transfer, and hold onto customer data. 

2. Use cybersecurity tools like a virtual private network (VPN) 

A VPN is an innovative cybersecurity tool that helps secure your data and prevent a leak from happening in the first place. It works by encrypting your internet connection and disguising your IP address, thus preventing prying eyes from reading your screen and monitoring your online activity. 

Moreover, VPNs can protect any of your devices anywhere in the world. With a mobile VPN, for example, you can use your smartphone on a public Wi-Fi network without jeopardizing customer information. 

Especially in this era of remote working, where employees might prefer working off-site, a VPN for a phone ensures they are doing their best regarding customer data protection. Visit here and check out the current top VPN providers listed by security experts.

3. Only collect and manage relevant customer data 

Deloitte's Future of Cyber survey noted that customers now recognize the value behind their data. As such, they expect to be told what is collected and why. They will expect their data to be used only to improve their experience. 

The survey found that when only relevant data was collected, a customer believed the business to be reliable and trustworthy, and their chance of buying again rose by 540%. 

While some people might think collecting vast amounts of information can be helpful for the future, they forget to realize that it will be harder to store, and if there is a breach, the damage suffered will be much more significant. 

4. Keep everything updated 

New cyber threats are constantly being developed to exploit vulnerabilities found in old technology. For this reason, employees must download and install updates regularly to ensure that your business can avoid common cyberattacks. 

Make updating technology a central part of your workplace. Ensure everything from work devices (including smartphones) and office applications to your website’s themes and plugins are updated to the latest version possible on time. Furthermore, you should only use systems that receive regular attention and support from their developers.

5. Be smart with access levels 

While it’s often a good idea for teams to work collaboratively in business, be careful with who has direct access to sensitive information. That’s because if everyone has access, cybercriminals can target more people to seize the data. 

Establish clear roles within your team and vary their privileges to see, read, and edit data. Identify who needs what access and ensure they have the required training to mitigate or prevent risk from occurring. 

6. Enable multi-factor authentication 

As well as limiting access to customer data, you should consider enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts throughout your business. MFA adds another layer of security, requiring someone to verify their identity upon login through a single-use code, authenticator, or security questions. 

If an employee’s account is compromised, MFA can prevent the hacker from being able to log in and access sensitive customer data. The employee will be notified of an unsuccessful login attempt and can report the potential breach and change their initial passwords. 

7. Keep everything updated 

New cyber threats emerge each day that try to exploit old vulnerabilities in technology. For this reason, employees must download and install recent updates to avail of the latest protections. 

This includes updating everything from employees’ work devices and operating systems to antivirus and work-related software, website themes and plugins, and more.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, safeguarding customer data is paramount in today's business landscape, given the increasing cyber threats. Adhering to relevant regulations, such as GDPR, and staying informed about local laws is crucial. Implementing cybersecurity tools like VPNs and adopting a minimalist approach to data collection can significantly enhance data security. Regular updates across all technology platforms and prudent access management practices help mitigate risks, while multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection. Continuously prioritizing data security is essential to protect both your business's reputation and legal standing in an era where data breaches can lead to devastating consequences.