The data you create is singlehandedly the most important, valuable asset stored on the devices you use. User-created data is unique to every individual and keeping it guarded and protected can be a hassle, but with six simple and easy steps, you can make sure you protect your online data. Your phone and laptop applications and stored data can include your credit card information, social security information, health records and information, and very important and private bank information that needs protection. An individual user’s data is not the only one that needs protecting, a company’s security is pivotal. A company’s network may contain crucial trade documents, financial records, and personal information about clients, employees, and the organization itself. It is highly important to provide your business with data security, and internet privacy. Our team at SDI knows the importance of data security and we are inclined to protecting your online data. Listed below are six simple steps you should follow to keep your data safe and secure, so you never have a breach of privacy. 1. Always Update Your Software Software updates are aimed to make the user experience easier and better. They ensure your applications and your devices stay with the current trends, free of bugs, and other internal issues that can cause your data to be compromised. Software updates will also allow your business and your devices to protect your data with more strength, especially on operating systems. Lastly, software updates will improve the stability of your software and remove outdated features. 2. Protect Your Passwords To protect yourself from any digital attacks, financial fraud, or identity theft, ensure all your devices have a password to protect all of your data. Never use the same password across various websites and applications since hackers can very easily gain access to all of your important information. For your phone, use the Touch ID and a strong password, and for your laptop, a strong password containing different characters is recommended. 3. Disable Your Lock-Screen Notifications Turning off your lock-screen notifications is an easy but simple way to protect your data on your mobile device. Enabling this feature can ensure your messages, emails, and any other apps that have stored your private information will remain private from any peeping eyes. Your mobile device will still give you a notification but setting it to a preview setting will allow you to access your information only with your face and keep it away from others. 4. Encrypt Your Data Data encryption translates your data into another format, or a code, that only you can access with a secret key or a password to enable it. It is commonly referred to as cyphertext and uses an algorithm to protect your privacy and give you the security you need. Besides your mobile device’s applications allowing you to encrypt the data, your laptop device can allow you to set passwords on certain applications such as Adobe and Microsoft Office. Besides online encryption, you can also use physical encryption in the form of USB drives, and other disc encryption products that will enable your data to be secured. 5. Back-Up Your Data If you are worried about losing your data, you need to back it up using an external hard drive that will protect all of your data in case it gets stolen or lost. Backups protect all of your data including photos, contacts, calendar events, passwords, and more. Definitely back-up your laptop devices to an external hard drive or an online service that will protect your data. 6. Lock Your Apps After locking your phone, make sure you lock your applications. App lockers provide an extra layer of protection by keeping the contents of your device unreachable without your presence. They work similarly to the lock-screen feature where they disable others from accessing your information even if your mobile device has been stolen or is lost. Our team at SDI wants to ensure all of your data is secured tightly and your privacy is kept under wraps. We aim to help your business stay protected online and offline. Call us at 408.621.8481 or email at team@sdi.la and we can help you with how you can use our services to protect your business’s data.