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Data loss and theft are very real threats, even to a small business. If you’re data is valuable to someone, then there’s a chance they’ll try to take it. Sensitive information is information that you don’t want external eyes to see. This includes any customer information, employee information, accounting documents, and other data types.

Some of this information is so sensitive, that it can’t even be seen by you or your staff. To stop data from leaking out of your company, you can put a series of preventative measures in place. This post covers some of the methods you can use, but you’ll need to do research specific to the data you store.

• Digital Data

It’s easy to protect your digital data! You just need a secure server, dedicated to storing data. High-level SSL encryption on all of your websites. And, of course, an entirely separate secure system to back it all up on! Unfortunately, this sort of investment is out of the reach of most small companies.

But, have no fear, data management services are here! Instead of dealing with the bulk of your data yourself, you can pay someone else to do it! These companies are security experts, who use their own in-house security systems. A lot of organizations like this will even offer compensation; if they lose your data.

If you do decide to store your own data; you’ll experience some hard drive failures. RAID configurations stop this from being a problem. But, you still need to dispose of the dead drives. Get your hands on a hard drive shredder, or pay someone to do it for you. Just for good measure.

For any payments you take that aren’t cash, you should use a payment gateway. They will take the customer’s payment details, so you never have to handle them. This means that, even if data is compromised, you don’t have to take the blame. Most of these companies will supply you with an image to put on your site, to show that you’re protected.

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• Physical Data

A lot of companies still use paper-based data. The best way to solve this issue is to move to a completely digital system, but this doesn’t work for everyone. So you’ll need to destroy some paper! If you can afford an industrial paper shredder, then you’re all set. Just monitor the data you collect on paper and destroy it at the appropriate time. Otherwise, you can pay a company to destroy the paperwork for you.

• The Law

Most countries have data protection laws. You need to know and understand the laws in your country. In fact, everyone in your company who handles data should know. A lot of governments perform random audits on companies, and if you’re not compliant, you could lose customers or end up in court. You can hire an adviser to help you with this, or seek free advice online.

Remember to do your research in matters likes this. Even if the law doesn’t require it, it’s a good idea to go the extra mile. In the event of data loss; if you can prove you’ve done everything you can to protect the data, it will look much better for you.