People are quite predictable when it comes to their new year’s resolutions. As the clock strikes midnight and we move to a new year, people plan to:

  • Exercise more
  • Eat healthier
  • Spend more time with family and friends
  • Lose weight
  • Live more economically

What works for personal resolutions can also transfer to business goals. Why not make your professional life a little better too? Business owners also have fairly predictable new year’s goals, including:

  • Update a business plan
  • Refresh a marketing plan
  • Expand your network
  • Look for automation opportunities

Great advice. But what about security practices? According to Healthcare IT News, 2021 has been a particularly dire year, with over 40 million individual records compromised, with specific incidents bringing down entire networks for weeks at a time.

It’s no longer about “if” an attack occurs; it’s “when.”

Are you prepared?

Why not start the new year out right with these security tips in mind? Here’s our list of recommendations to add to your list.

Develop security guidelines

Ensure you have a fully documented security plan easily accessible by all employees. You should cover every aspect of security, including bring-your-own-device and work-from-home guidelines.

Encrypted backup

Keeping your data in one place is a recipe for disaster. We recommend having three copies of your data at all times - two in external locations, and one copy off-site.

Password protection

To keep PHI safe, have safe password measures in place. You can use password generation programs, and require regularly changing passwords to thwart criminal behavior.

Permission levels

Not everyone requires the same access levels to the data in your practice. Review permission levels regularly, ensuring only those who truly need access to data have it in place.

Security training

We can’t say this enough. Your weakest link will always be employees who use the system every day. Ensure they understand the latest threats and how to reduce exposure through simple, regular training sessions. Err on the side of creating short classes regularly rather than longer, more complex sessions further apart. Gentle reminders can be the key to triggering employee behavior to practice safety measures

With these helpful security tips in mind, you can develop a security plan that will help you keep your business on track for a safe year ahead.

For IT Strategy, Cloud Conversion, or Help Desk Services reach out to us at Silver Linings Technology 360-450-4759.