Long gone are the days when workers' desks were piled high with paperwork. Instead, most employees probably have a desktop filled with icons and folders.

Document management is big concern for businesses of all sizes. Companies everywhere are in search of the simplest and more effective ways to store data and transfer files between team members. Unfortunately, the easiest ways are rarely the safest.

Below CyberPolicy will discuss secure document management and ways to improve cybersecurity awareness within your organization.

Leverage Cloud Storage
One of the most hotly contested issues in the tech space right now is the efficacy and safety of cloud storage. On one hand, the cloud makes it easy for staff members to access files from any device at any time. On the other hand, business leaders worry that by embracing the cloud they are ceding control of their data to a third-party provider.

Truth be told, working with cloud providers is actually safer than housing data on site because service providers can focus more time and resources on securing storage than your internal IT team alone.

That's not to say the cloud is foolproof. You still need to ensure your cloud containers are encrypted to stymie intrusion and backed by a third-party data breach insurance policy to protect your organization from incursion outside of your control.

Password Protect Your Data
Whatever your storage solution, it won't mean much if it's not password protected. Be sure to use unique and robust passwords for each and every account to protect your organization from data breach.

Beware of Google Drive and other cloud services that do not use passwords. For example, if you save a spreadsheet of company sign-in credentials to Google Drive and allow \"anyone with the link\" to view these, you could be setting yourself for a world of trouble.

Keep It Hashed & Salted
Companies regularly store personal and financial information on their employees and customers. This could include things like passwords, Social Security numbers, credit card information or bank routing numbers.

While obviously you should hide this information in a digital safe space, it might be even more important to hash and salt this data. This way, even if your network is breached and your files are stolen, hackers won't be able to read this sensitive data.

Be Careful Transferring Sensitive Data
The next thing to keep in mind is the best ways to transfer data safely. Avoid sending sensitive files over email as these can be easily breached by hackers; not to mention that spear phishing campaigns and social engineering scams are generally conducted over email in an effort to get employees to share private data with cyber crooks.

You should also avoid free public Wi-Fi as hackers can see any information sent over these unsecured networks.

Instead, your staff should save files directly to the cloud to be pulled down by the intended recipient, or the documents can be sent over a dedicated encrypted messenger such as Slack or WhatsApp.

Invest in Data Breach Insurance
If, despite your best efforts, your network is still infiltrated and your most precious data leaked, don't worry. There is a safety net in place to help you, and its name is data breach insurance.

Learn more by visiting CyberPolicy today!