No doubt you’ve heard all about the recent security breaches within two major Australian companies. Of course, corporations have a responsibility to secure their client’s data – but it is also the responsibility of every individual to maintain a high level of security and mitigate their risks.

There are some key security measures that everyone must adhere to that you maybe haven’t even thought about, or are putting off to another day because it’s seen as “too much effort”. While the idea of implementing multiple strong passwords sounds like a mountain to climb, it’s actually much easier than you think.

Here are some of the vital security procedures you need to implement in your business, and how you can get them done with ease.

Unique passwords for all platforms

One of the most important (and unfortunately, most overlooked) security measures is to make sure no two services share the same password – e.g., don’t use the same password for your email address that you use for your LockedOn account, or banking login.

While it might sound challenging to juggle different passwords for everything, having a password manager such as LastPass or 1Password is very helpful for managing multiple logins. They allow you to quickly, easily (and securely) save and manage login details and come with browser extensions and phone apps that allow you to sign in to your services in seconds.

Strong passwords

It’s not enough to have your initials and birth year as your password. Every login must have its own strong password (16 characters, randomly generated, letters numbers and characters). Again, password managers are a big help for generating and saving strong passwords for your services.

Additionally, two-factor authorization (where available) provides another level of security, which requires users to approve logins or important account changes via security code, SMS or email.

Make sure everyone has their own login credentials

It’s critical that every agent in your business has their own unique username and password to any services you subscribe to, especially your CRM. This is important for a number of reasons, such as privacy – but also for auditing purposes, should you need to look up which agent in your office conducted certain updates.

Be careful when clicking on links

Be wary of any you receive a text message, email or phone call asking you to log in to a service or confirm an order, for example. These “phishing” messages are designed to collect important information and can be tricky to spot at times – but there are usually some telltale signs, including:

• The link on the SMS/email looks odd or misleading
• The message is poorly written and/or contains errors
• It comes from a random email address not related to the company.

Remember – if in doubt, don’t click the link. Visit the company’s website via your web browser and contact them directly for advice.

Secure your devices

Keep your software up-to-date (such as your operating system and web browser) as they often contain important security updates, and also maintain strong device security (laptops or phones) by logging out of your online services and/or your device when left unattended.

How we handle security at LockedOn

At LockedOn, we take data security very seriously and go to great lengths to protect our systems. Here are some of the measures we employ (technical talk ahead):

• LockedOn is deployed on Amazon Web Services, the most secure cloud platform on the market
• All user passwords stored in our system are encrypted, as well as our API. We use token access with strict permissions to prevent any attacks on our platform
• We also have strict IP, firewall and location-based access to our databases, and we follow strict guidelines to protect our IP and security internally.
• Our platform also includes backups and redundancy for extra data protection, and our database technology is immutable for extra protection
• We also regularly conduct security audits and monitor our system continuously for any abnormal activity.

We are always improving our security both internally and for our clients, with more in the pipeline moving forward.

Stay safe!

We hope you found value in the above – and while we understand that initially setting up these security measures might take a bit of effort, in the long run, it will be much easier for you to manage and much safer as well. Remember: you’re much better off putting the effort in now, than cleaning up the damage that could arise from improper security. Stay safe out there!