7 Tips for Effective Data Management

Data management: it’s a buzzword that we’ve all heard and one you can’t afford to ignore. With the rise of data breaches in recent years, many companies are looking at new ways to protect their data like Azure MDM. But what does this mean for your business? This article will look at seven tips for effective data management and how they help businesses like yours.

Some examples include: making backups on physical media like hard drives and flash drives; having previous versions saved online as well as offline just in case something happens to either location; storing paper files away from computers with sensitive information and password protecting or adding another layer of security such as encryption to them. A good option for encryption would be the anchor file encryption software.

Establish a Data Management Plan

The first step in data management is to establish a plan. A good place for this is the front of your document, and it should include details about what types of information you’re collecting (and why), who has access to that information, how long you plan to keep that information around, and an emergency backup plan if something goes wrong. If there are extra steps involved with getting permission from others before taking their info or managing employee files, make sure those are mentioned here. 

Define What Data Is Valuable To The Company

It’s important to think about what type of data you collect and which specific pieces hold value for your business. For example, some companies may need customer emails to communicate additional offers later, while others may need bank account numbers to process payments. You’ll also want to note whether or not you have more than one type of data management plan for different types of information, such as a medical records team and an HR department.

Designate Who Has Access To Which Data

Now that we’ve defined what data is valuable, it’s time to decide who gets access to which pieces. This can be done through permission levels: something your company already has if it uses file-sharing software like Google Drive or Dropbox- where employees are given read/write access according to their role in the company (i.e., everyone on marketing teams would get full access). 

For those without this level of security clearance, simply assigning them to view only permissions will do. Ensure employees know how to access and change these permissions if necessary (for example, if an employee is fired or switches roles).

Create A Backup Plan In Case Of Emergencies

Everyone working for your company must know what to do in the event of a data disaster. Whether it’s a fire destroying all copies of customer records or someone accidentally deleting everything from their computer at home, there are steps you should take now, so those mistakes never happen again. 

Some examples include: making backups on physical media like hard drives and flash drives; having previous versions saved online as well as offline just in case something happens to either location; storing paper files away from computers with sensitive information and password protecting or adding another layer of security such as encryption to them.

Add Protection For Sensitive Information

The last thing you want is for your employees’ personal information to be accessed by someone without their consent or knowledge – even if it’s just their credit card numbers. Make sure only those who truly need this data have access to it (i.e., make separate folders for each employee within the file-sharing software). All sensitive info like this has additional protection added on top of standard security measures such as passwords.

Update Software Regularly To Avoid Malware And Viruses

Updating company systems regularly will help avoid malware and viruses like ransomware that can encrypt or delete files and databases.  If it’s not already, you should have a check-in of your computer system done regularly to make sure everything is running smoothly. 

If anything needs fixing, do so right away before more damage can be done. You’ll want to have a plan in place that includes the details of when updates should happen, who’s responsible for them, what exactly is being updated (i.e., operating system or specific programs), and how often they’re needed.

Keep All The Backups In One Place

It’s important to keep all backups in one place. If you have a physical server that holds the majority of your data and then backup hard drives or flash drives scattered throughout employees’ computers for convenience, you’ll either need to update security measures on those individual devices (which is time consuming), or you put yourself at risk when someone inevitably misplaces them.

Instead of doing this, use software like Google Drive, which automatically syncs everything across each device, so it doesn’t matter where files are located- they’re always just one click away.

Data management is an important component of any business, and it’s something you should be considering. Data management can help your company make money by improving efficiency and generating more revenue from existing customers when done well. Here are some tips for ensuring that your company’s data storage practices stay up to date with the latest trends in technology. We hope these pointers will serve as a useful guide for getting started on this project or making improvements if needed.