5 Ways to Protect your Precious Real Estate Data

Keeping your real estate data safe should be at the very top of your priority list, given that a data breach involving personal information can result in penalties of up to $1.7 million for companies. Here are 5 ways you can stay in control of your Customer Data and protect your clients’ precious personal information from ever being misused or mishandled.

 

1. Train employees to be suspicious

These days, ensuring that your email and network protection filters out spam and malware is not enough. Implement a data protection policy which guides employees on how to keep personal data secure. Don’t forget to train your employees to be wary of dangerous file types and suspicious emails, and invite them to report any unusual behaviour to you.

 

2. Use a dedicated server

 Many small businesses take the cheaper approach and use a shared server to host their files. This could lead to a multitude of risks, as this means that many different sites, programs, and scripts are being run on the same machine. Using a shared server also means that other individuals outside of your company’s employees have access to your server. Your website could be made susceptible to data breach simply because of another user’s weak site security. Using a dedicated server can significantly reduce the risk of your site being affected by an outside party, and the peace of mind of knowing your data is secure can far outweigh the cost of more expensive software.

 

3. Encrypt data

Keeping sensitive records un-encrypted poses many potential threats. When information is sent online or data files are kept via an improperly secured channel, you expose you and your clients’ data to cyber thieves. Ensure that all sensitive data stored on servers or the cloud are encrypted, and implement full disk protection. Consider only sharing information via removable devices when meeting with business partners.

 

4. Restrict access

Employees who have no use for sensitive Customer Data should simply not have access to it. Keep Customer Data files in a safe and restricted location and change your passwords regularly.

 

5. Prepare a plan in case of breach

 If the worst was to happen and it has been brought to your attention that your Customer Data was under attack, be ready with a plan. This could be as simple as ensuring that the problem is isolated, notifying the affected customer and having a IT security expert attend to the issue at hand. Being prepared in these circumstances can help eliminate detrimental customer repercussions and also minimise stress.  It can also have a huge impact on the legal consequences that may follow, and might just save your company’s reputation.

Your data is your business, so protecting it is very crucial. If you’d like to learn more about data protection and how Real Estate Booking’s can help, please get in touch below!