How to Keep Your Business Documents Secure and Easily Accessible

Businesses must pay attention to their security. There’s no company that’s too small or insignificant to be targeted by cyber attacks. Even if the attacks don’t steal sensitive document, suffering from a data breach still leads to legal and reputational problems due to regulations.

To ensure business operations and protection against different types of threats, it’s necessary to implement the proper methods. Some of them are basically free and don’t require advanced software to be implemented.

Yet, they protect the business significantly. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most significant risks of insecure documents, but also provide some of the most effective methods to protect them, your operations, and customers in the long run. 

Risks of insecure documents

Companies that don’t properly store their documents are susceptible to data breaches, one of the largest risks. In a data breach, hackers can steal sensitive information from the company and leak it or sell it.

The problem with data breaches is that there’s a chance of leaking customer or employee information, which can lead to legal actions by regulatory bodies. Furthermore, data breaches harm reputation, which can make many customers and clients turn away from the business.

While data breaches are external risks, poor access controls pose an internal risk. Sometimes, employees might be able to access data they’re not supposed to. They can delete or alter this data or use it for their personal gains.

The problem is even larger if external personnel can somehow access these documents. Similarly to data breaches, dozens of problems can be caused by accidental deletion, hardware failure, or malware, which can result in the permanent loss of critical files.

This can cause a lot of operational problems. Imagine if you’re waking up to work on a document only to find out that it has been deleted without any backups. Depending on the scope of work, this can take companies back days or even months.

As mentioned, breaking data regulations is a significant problem. Even if a data leak doesn’t happen, companies might get sued if audits happen.

While the previous few risks were about security, let’s talk about accessibility as well. Disorganized or inaccessible documents slow down teams, reduce productivity, and can potentially lead to errors that can cost.

Effective methods to keep business files secure

There are dozens of different methods that ensure the security of business files. However, the methods outlined here are the basics that you should certainly consider.

Before you move on to implementing AI-powered software or other advanced strategies, it’s best to start with what you can easily tackle.

Using adequate file formats

There are dozens of different file formats for documents. People are often confused as to what their purpose is. PDFs are ideal for contracts, invoices, and legal documents, as they preserve layout, limit editability, and can be password-protected.

You’ll need additional tools to alter PDFs. For example, you can delete pages from PDF with SmallPDF. Other read-only files should be used for documents that shouldn’t be changed, especially when shared externally. 

You have editable formats, like DOCX, XLSX, CSV, and others. These are used for internal collaboration, but they should be exported as PDF or secured in other ways before sharing outside of the company. 

My favorites are cloud-native files, like the ones from Google Docs and Sheets, as they provide the possibility of real-time collaboration. These platforms also offer sharing features that can be limited to viewers, commenters, and editors. Furthermore, you can limit the viewers to only accounts within the company. 

These platforms also offer possibilities of exporting the files in different formats, and support backups and versioning.

Adopting secure document management systems

One of the most effective ways to keep business files safe and organized is by using a Document Management System (DMS). These platforms provide centralized storage, secure access, and detailed control over your document workflows.

The centralized access offers access from any location, which is especially important for remote or hybrid teams. However, these platforms also come with a plethora of other features, both security and accessibility wise. 

For example, you can set advanced permission settings that allow only authorized users to access the documents. Like Google Docs, they offer automated version control and audit control, providing companies with insights into document activities. 

DMS can be integrated with the cloud, further protecting against data loss. These systems include options like Google Workspace, Microsoft SharePoint, Dropbox Business, and Box. They also come with enterprise-level features.

Strong access controls

Controlling access is not only important for documents, but for all files and company’s accounts. Without proper restrictions, sensitive files can be deleted or changed in a way that can harm the company or the owners of the document. 

It’s crucial that companies implement the rule of least privilege. This rule means that no employee or customer should have more access permissions and privileges than necessary to execute their tasks properly. 

Another important measure in terms of access controls is the implementation of multi-factor authentication. This way, even if an account gets compromised, there’s a high likelihood that the hacker won’t be able to access it.

Multi-factor authentication, such as 2FA, includes additional authentication methods such as SMS, email, or a token generator. It’s a great way of ensuring that, even with stolen credentials, employees will have their accounts protected.

Although a bit intrusive, it’s helpful to monitor access logs. This ensures that no login goes unnoticed, and it can be helpful for tracking problematic activities. Once a user role changes, the company should ensure that they get new privileges, while revoking unnecessary privileges they’ve had in the past.

Encryption

Encryption protects data by making it unreadable to unauthorized users, even if someone gains access to your storage system or intercepts a transmission. Modern encryption standards ensure that hackers won’t be able to read the contents of the files or transmissions. 

There are two main types of encryption to use:

• Encryption at rest: Protects files stored on servers, hard drives, or in the cloud. The ideal services use AES-256-bit encryption or higher.
• Encryption in transit: Protects files as they’re shared or uploaded across the internet. SSL/TLS protocols are standard for secure connections.

Many storage and communication platforms already have built-in encryption, but you can also use tools specialized for encrypting data to ensure maximum safety.

Automated backups and versioning

While the methods on this list make your company’s documents significantly more secure, you should always consider protection in a worst-case scenario. If your company suffers a data breach, documents might be lost.

To prevent this, implementing backups can ensure the continuity of operations. Backups are also helpful for preventing the loss of files to accidental deletions, hardware failure, cyberattacks, or file corruption. 

The best way to create backups is to use a combination of physical and cloud storage. In other words, use redundant backups.

Version history can be helpful when having to roll back to previous document states if needed. This is helpful if a document is altered without a permission, or simply if changes an employee made weren’t done properly.

Employee training

Throughout internet history, human mistakes have been fatal for companies. From startups to large corporations, employees accidentally, or intentionally, making way for hackers occurred numerous times. 

To prevent employees from accidentally causing harm to the company’s security, it’s crucial to implement cybersecurity training. Everything from password creation to implementing 2FA and recognizing malware should be covered. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that all employees should become cybersecurity experts. Rather, they should have some training in recognizing problematic activity and cyber threats like phishing emails or social engineering attacks.

Another important lesson is training employees to create strong passwords or to use password keepers in order to protect their accounts.

Keeping business files secure and accessible is necessary

With the latest data regulations, cybersecurity measures are something that’s necessary. This is because companies can get sued by different regulatory bodies, leading to costs much higher than the cost of implementing preemptive measures. 

Many operating systems support backup creation, making that action a piece of cake, while other measures like employee training need weeks. In any case, it’s best to consider the cost-to-security ratio and decide which measures should be implemented immedeityl. 

Companies can hire external cybersecurity experts or agencies that can help them audit their systems and decide which security measures are most needed.

Veljko Petrović

Veljko is an IT student who has successfully combined his passion for technology with his exceptional writing skills. As an emerging specialist in cybersecurity, he has completed several courses and has been published in notable blogs in the industry. In his free time, Veljko enjoys weightlifting, reading, and programming.