Solid password practices can protect your data from intruders.
Protecting your business data is essential to keeping your company in business. While your employees are your greatest asset, they can also be your greatest liability. This is especially the case when it comes to how employees are using passwords. Passwords are the keys that open doors to stored data. The more employees that have those keys, the more vulnerable that data becomes. It is vital that your employees are using strong passwords that they can remember.
There is power in numbers.
Passwords can be easily cracked by hackers, especially if you don’t use solid password-creation practices. The best passwords contain both uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and special characters. You should also avoid using easily guessed words or alphanumeric combinations, such as the names of significant others, children, pets, birth dates, addresses, and similar information that can be easily guessed by someone looking at your social media profiles or through a Google search. Rather than using a short password, it is recommended that end users create passphrases – or a short sentence containing an assortment of characters.
Keep your passwords somewhere safe.
The safest place to keep a password is in your head. Unfortunately, people cannot always remember them. It is not a good idea to keep passwords written down unless they are well hidden. End users should avoid keeping sticky notes or other memos containing passwords with computers. A good method of storage is to keep passwords stored either within a password manager or by keeping them on file with your organization’s IT department.
Keep your passwords updated.
It is a good practice to renew your passwords once or twice a year. Changing passwords too often may create more work for system administrators, since they are more likely to be forgotten or lost. You should also change your passwords any time that you feel as though your system has been compromised or is likely to be compromised.
Contact us today at (800) 710-4010 to speak to a member of our team about your business needs and how we can help you keep your data secure.
