Is your warehouse data secure enough?
Between boom gates and barriers, fences and security guards, your physical warehouse may be safe, but what about your data? Cybersecurity is an increasingly important consideration for businesses in all industries. Hacking is becoming so profitable and commonplace that, currently, it's worth more than the global drug trade. Without the necessary protections, your company's information is at risk of being stolen.
You may be wondering what a potential criminal can and may do with your organization's data. After all, most supply chain and logistics businesses don't have top-secret information. However, would-be thieves can use your banking and client details to attempt extortion, steal identities or siphon money from your accounts.
And, because warehouses are becoming increasingly "smart" by using software and computerized programs, most (if not all) of your sensitive and confidential information is online. So, it's critical to ensure that you have the correct type and level of security for your warehouse data. How can you tell if it's sufficiently protected? Let's find out:
Evaluate your recovery strategy
A hack isn't inevitable, but it's vital to have a damage control plan ready, anyway. If there is an attack, you'll likely have to shut down your entire IT system and network for any given length of time. During this period, you'll still need to use your data, so it's essential to have everything backed up. You also need to outline your disaster recovery roadmap so that every staff member knows what to do in a data emergency. This will form part of your business continuity plan, which aims to guarantee that any downtime won't affect productivity or profits.
Determine who has access
The biggest mistake is leaving your data out in the open for anyone and everyone to get their hands on. You must check your network's privacy settings to determine which employees obtain what information, and what security protocols are in place for when a worker wants to access a particular source. For example, is there a single password everyone uses? How often is it changed? Does every staff member need to be able to retrieve every file? Answering these questions will help you establish if your data is safe in this respect.
Assess your monitoring
You need to evaluate your data's watch dogs. It's crucial that you have software and systems in place that keep an eye on user behavior, as they'll immediately alert you to any unusual or suspicious activity that could indicate a breach. Any such tool will also notify you of potential vulnerabilities so that you can address them quickly before a thief has the opportunity to take advantage of them. These kinds of programs will also sometimes keep you updated about current scams.
These are only three ways to appraise your warehouse data security, and it's essential to use all of them. It's always better to be safe than sorry!