Carefully Evaluate Access Controls over Data for Greater Security

The most common way of accessing data within organizations is through the applications that build, edit and maintain it.

Today, however, several new methods of data accessibility are evolving and coming into use. Network Operating System, Database and Primary Server are the best examples.

Regardless of what means of data accessibility you are using as a business, it is important to frequently evaluate your access control for betterdata security!

Here is how you can do it:

Be Strict about Access Control Passwords

Logical access controls associated with passwords and other login credentials encompass a variety of data security methods and components. This is the reason why IT veterans emphasize the importance of following and repeating the password standards within enterprises of all types and sizes. Once you begin to follow these guidelines, you can make your passwords and credentials more reliable.

The idea is to:

• Make it as difficult as possible for hackers to guess and break passwords. Keeping the length of a password perfect is one of the ways of achieving it.
• Another useful trick is to increase the complexity of password characters, making it almost impossible to crack them. It is even more important to keep changing password patterns from time to time.
• Last but not least, help your employees and associates to develop a habit of logging out of all the systems before leaving the workstation. This will prevent unauthorized access to critical data and information.

Restrict the Applications

All the read-write (RW) applications allow a user to access the underlying data and information. So, make all such applications that you are using restricted to any users who doesn’t need them. That means not all employees should be able to access all applications. Try to get applications that have unique access controls.

Secure Server and NOS 

These two means of data accessibility are highly prone to multiple security-related risks. The first step towards making them more secure is to follow basic password standards, particularly for a sever. In addition, consider examining all the sharing activities taking place via the server and NOS.

Forbid the sharing of your crucial data, excepting some authorized members or a group of users. For example, there is no need to share a spreadsheet made for financial reporting with all users.

Use Firewall Control

When it comes to allowing or disallowing critical data access to users, firewall is always the best option. It is equally important to frequently test it for flawless access controls, especially for users entering externally. Once you have a firewall up and running, it will force the system to authenticate every external user according to your set access rights.