Consumer Reports explains in their March 2019 issue, “Huge data breaches, like the ones at Equifax in 2017 and Marriott’s Starwood hotels in 2018, can each affect hundreds of millions of people. But added together, small incidents might pose an equally big problem for consumers.” In fact, going back to 2005, out of almost 9,000 data-breach incidents, 94 percent affected fewer than 10,000 consumers. That is, they came from small businesses, maybe businesses like yours.

Small Business Killer

Data breaches damage huge corporations, but they can destroy a small business or organization. The can cost thousands in legal fees. They bring existing sales to a standstill. They ruin your reputation, which means you will fail to attract new customers. “According to a 2017 study by the Better Business Bureau, a data breach could render more than half of all small businesses insolvent within a month.”

How to Prevent a Data Breach

So what can you do? You store data everywhere: spreadsheets, documents, PDFs, email messages, folders, shared drives. There’s a good chance most, if not all, is unencrypted. A hacker need only gain access to your network – easier than you think – to steal your data.

Don’t Store Unencrypted

Never store credit card and banking data in your data. If you must, keep it encrypted and inaccessible by anyone at your company who doesn’t absolutely need it. Find more at the Payment Card Industry site.

FileMaker Pro

Secondly, a database or custom app built on a secure platform like FileMaker Pro offers multiple levels of protection for your data:

  • Authentication with accounts: FileMaker protects and encrypts credentials. Users can authenticate (log in) using a variety of methods.
  • Access control with privilege sets: You decide what data users or employees can see; define as many permission levels as you need. Hide sensitive data from those who don’t need to see or use it.
  • Data encryption on the disk: FileMaker files can be encrypted so the data stored inside them cannot be accessed without authorization. If someone steals your laptop, iPad, or server, the data cannot be cracked.
  • Data encryption during transmission: Data cannot be intercepted as it’s sent and received; Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption of data (like the kind used when you access your bank account) between FileMaker Server and client applications prevents a hacker from reading data as it moves.
  • Server monitoring and administration: Admin Console allows you to monitor solution access, disconnect idle users, and create backups of your solutions.

Protection is Only One Benefit

Improved security represents only a fraction of the benefits of moving to to a database or custom app. FileMaker Pro organizes your data, making it, easier to find, access, manipulate, use, and output. Complex business processes can be replaced with a button-push. Contact us if you want to learn how to protect and organize your business data.