Get some advice about keeping digital information secure

Suzanne Girdlestone, director of Smart Business IT, gives some advice on how to keep digital information secure in an ever-advancing technological world…

In 2020 farming is challenging and the need to diversify is required. Have you added a campsite and facilities? Energy production? A tourism attraction? Food or drink production? Dog kennels?

However you may have chosen to diversify, with these new services come the requirements to have additional computer technology to enable you to manage new ventures with ease. For instance you may need a website to let people know about your new venture, customer information software, online booking systems or stock management systems – to name just a few. 

And in this modern world of connection, everything can be accessed via your phone. Sounds great, right? But the easier it is for you to access and connect your digital information, the easier it is for someone to gain access and steal from you. Gone are the times that thieves had to actually break into your facility to steal your information – now they can be anywhere in the world.

How secure is your digital information?

Another problem which affects rural businesses in particular is that because of their location, technical advice is not readily available or affordable. Many big tech companies don’t have an understanding of how rural businesses function and what their requirements are. Some IT professionals often don’t seem to be speaking the same language as their clients, using tech speak which often bamboozles even the most knowledgeable business owner.

As business evolves, with all the new technology which comes along with new ways of working, you need to think about security of your systems and what information you are going to be storing. If I said GDPR, would you think I am speaking gobbledegook? Would you run and hide? 

Well now is the time to face facts. You have a legal obligation to protect other people’s data that you collect and store. And that doesn’t mean by simply adding a password or locking your hard drive in a safe. 

One way in which you can stop yourself being an easy target is by making sure that your technology is always up to date with current updates or “patches”. There is an auto-update feature with most operating systems and software applications that can be updating in the background. 

Antivirus software is a must too – and not just on your computer. In most cases your phone is a mini computer and most people do everything on there from reading emails to online banking, so make sure that you have antivirus software on it too. 

The liability for stolen data lies with you – so if you need some advice and would like to talk over your business’s IT security, call Smart Business IT on 07947 116791 or see our website smartbusinessit.co.uk.