Protecting client data is critical to your customer and supplier trust and loyalty, so it’s important to know how to protect that data. Running a company or owning a business means you deal with important information and customer data all the time — and it’s pivotal that you protect it.
If you have no steps in place to protect your customer data, you’re exposed to hacks and data breaches, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction, loss of business, lawsuits, and so much more.
Protecting client data is also a big factor for regulatory compliance requirements, and not adhering to these regulations could put your business at risk. We work with registered investment advisors (RIAs) and financial advisors, who are highly regulated and have to set high standards for their IT compliance. The best strategy is to protect your documents with appropriate policies, access management, and permission portals. But, without the right software, this may be difficult to achieve.
That’s where data loss prevention tools come into play. When these tools are configured properly, you can prevent accidental or intentional data loss.
Let’s look at some straightforward tools Microsoft has in place to keep your client data protected and safe from security breaches.
Microsoft Data Loss Prevention
A company as monumental as Microsoft needs to ensure data protection for its customers and guarantee that it has top-of-the-range security. That’s why Microsoft has a feature called Data Loss Prevention (DLP).
DLP is geared by policies that determine how certain information is regulated and how it is stored. These conditions work through emails, files, and attachments and create rules, exceptions, and actions for users in the admin center. This allows you to examine which content meets these guidelines and policies and which does not.
In-tune Mobile Application Management Without Device Enrollment
Microsoft Office 365 takes initiative when it comes to preventing data loss and creating a pleasant end-user experience for its customers.
This is achieved through the creative capabilities of a feature called Microsoft Intune. Intune is designed to automatically enhance security through Microsoft applications. This includes features like encryption, cut, copy, paste, and save, which are already enforced through personal and work accounts.
We work with RIAs and Financial Advisors who manage a great deal of confidential information for their clients, indicating that data protection is crucial for the end user. We’ve learned that Microsoft offers many data management solutions for RIAs as well as solutions to prevent data loss for their users.
Intune allows for work data to be protected while personal data remains untouched in the same Office 365 applications. Essentially, it can be customized by the end user, for the end user, optimizing security according to their needs.
An additional benefit is that this whole feature is simple to configure. All you need to do is
- Enable Office 365 and EMS subscriptions
- Log into the new Azure portal
- Create an Intune mobile application management policy
By setting up data loss prevention and user groups, you are minimizing your risk of data breaches.
In-transit Data Protection
In addition to Microsoft’s efforts to protect data loss and incorporate Intune features, the company also provides several options for end users when it comes to keeping their data safe in transit.
In brief, data is in transit when any of the following happens:
- A client device communicates with a Microsoft server
- One Microsoft server communicates with another
- A Microsoft server communicates with a non-Microsoft server
Microsoft Office 365 has made sure that the end user’s data is concealed so that no one has access to the data when in transit, which guarantees security. Additionally, it makes use of Media Access Control security (MACsec) for further security and confidentiality.
At the end of the day, your business relies on protecting end users’ data, whether it be credit card details or Social Security information. There’s no better time than now to make sure your systems are not vulnerable and ensure that your data is being protected.
The well-trained specialists at Ria WorkSpace are always available to assist you with data loss prevention and more. Contact us today for an assessment!