How To Prevent Data Loss

Up to 94% of companies that experience severe data loss never recover, making it important for every organization to take steps to protect their data. To prevent data loss, organizations should regularly back up data, keep software up to date, store sensitive data in encrypted storage, use antivirus software, implement least privileged access and equip employees with a password manager.

Continue reading to learn the common causes of data loss and in-depth tips on how your organization can keep its data safe. 

What causes data loss?

Data loss in organizations is most often caused by human error, a damaged hard drive or malware. 

Human error

Human error is one of the most common causes of data loss. As humans, mistakes inevitably occur. Mistakes can be simple, such as spilling a drink on a laptop or accidentally deleting files. Organizations need to be ready for all kinds of data loss scenarios, including employee mistakes. 

Damaged hard drive

Hard drive malfunctions are surprisingly common. A hard drive is the most fragile component of a computer and if it gets damaged through misuse or overuse it could lead to data loss, especially if data is not regularly backed up. While it’s normal for a hard drive to wear out over time, you should know the signs of a hard drive that may soon stop working such as overheating, frequent crashes or freezing and slow performance.

Malware

Malware is created to steal, modify, encrypt or delete data. If an employee unknowingly downloads something malicious from the internet or clicks on an email attachment or link in a phishing email, their device could become infected with malware. Once malware has installed itself on a device it can compromise accounts, files and other important data. This malware can then spread to the organization’s network and compromise any other data it can find.

6 tips to prevent data loss at your organization

Here are some tips on how organizations can prevent data loss.

1. Regularly back up data

Ensuring every piece of company data is backed up keeps it safe in the event that your organization suffers a data breach or is infiltrated with malware. Whether your organization decides to store data in the cloud or on physical servers, a best practice to follow is to have multiple backups in different locations. That way, if one fails, you still have a backup your organization can use. 

2. Keep software up to date

Software updates do more than just add new features, they also patch security flaws, add new security features, fix bug issues and improve performance. Failing to update software as soon as an update is available can place your organization at a greater risk of losing data because of unpatched security flaws. When security flaws are left unpatched, they act as holes for cybercriminals to infiltrate your organization’s network. Encourage employees to update their software regularly, and if needed, invest in a solution that enforces software updates on employee work devices. 

3. Store data in encrypted storage

Encrypted storage helps keep your organization’s most sensitive data secure by ensuring it’s always encrypted and can only be accessed by authorized individuals. Your organization should look for an encrypted storage solution that is zero trust, zero knowledge and uses 256-bit key encryption. In addition to encrypting data at rest, organizations should also make sure that data is encrypted in transit. This protects the data at all points of vulnerability, making it more difficult for cybercriminals to steal or modify it.  

4. Equip employees with a password manager

A password management solution helps organizations mitigate the risk of data breaches by enabling secure password management and sharing. With a password manager, organizations can ensure employees follow password best practices when creating passwords and enforce the use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). A password manager can also help employees with secure password and file sharing so they’re not placing sensitive data at risk of being intercepted by unauthorized individuals. 

5. Use antivirus software

Malware can be extremely damaging to organizations. The type of malware that targets organizations the most is ransomware. According to the State of Email and Collaboration Security Report 2024, 80% of respondents have fallen victim to ransomware in the past year. To mitigate the risks of your organization’s data being lost due to ransomware attacks, antivirus software should be installed on every employee device, including BYOD devices. It’s also just as important to teach employees to avoid clicking on malicious links and attachments, as these are the most common ways that ransomware is delivered. 

6. Control employee access to organizational resources

To prevent unauthorized access to organizational resources and data, your organization should follow the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP). This principle states that employees should only be given access to the systems and data they need to perform their jobs, not more and not less. By providing employees with the least amount of access to resources, organizations can reduce the risk of data being lost due to human error caused by an employee having excessive privileges. One of the best ways organizations can implement PoLP is by investing in a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution. 

Prevent data loss with a privileged access manager 

Every individual and organization should be taking preventive measures to mitigate the risks of data loss. A privileged access management solution like Zero-Trust KeeperPAM® can help organizations prevent data loss by securing their passwords, credentials, secrets and remote connections, helping to defend against internal and external threat actors. 

To learn more about how Zero-Trust KeeperPAM can help your organization prevent data loss, request a demo today.