10 ways to make sure your data doesn’t walk out the door

Cyber security is hot topic right now. No one wants to make the news as the victim of a hacker attack. So, we beef up our cyber security. We buy the best security software. We lock down our systems so nothing can get out.

Unless it walks right out the front door.

What happens if a company laptop is lost or stolen? What about a smartphone? What happens if sensitive physical documents are lost or stolen? This article on techrepublic.com entitled, "10 ways to make sure your data doesn’t walk out the door," highlights these threats (and more) as well as some good ways to bolster physical data security.

Here’s another tip: Use web applications instead of spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are dangerous because data distributed via spreadsheet is physically stored in multiple locations, increasing the chances for a data breach. Additionally, if a laptop or smartphone containing a sensitive spreadsheet is lost or stolen, there’s nothing you can do to stop the perpetrator from accessing your data.

However, web applications provide the same functionality as spreadsheets, but are stored securely in one location. Employees must log in to access the data and will not compromise anything in the event of hardware loss.

Check out crazybikes.com for some examples. How many of those applications could replace your spreadsheets? If you’re wondering about pivot table functionality, I have some good news for you. A little bird told me that we are going to be adding web-based pivot table functionality in the near future, so keep your eyes open.