For individuals and businesses alike, keeping data secure can often be a survival issue. Critical business statistics and more importantly, sensitive personal information about customers like PAN, debit card details etc if compromised, can lead to lawsuits and losses in billions of rupees for the company.
On the other hand, the head of a household who has stored the family's financial data on his desktop can go into a state of shock if his house is broken into and the computer stolen. Thieves may often not be interested so much in the gadget's value as in the information it contains and the potential for bigger gains by manipulating it. So here are some general tips to help you keep your personal information safe:
Store business and personal information separately
Avoid storing your Form 16 soft copy on your office desktop. If you have downloaded it to take a printout, delete the file or forward it to your personal email address and wipe it out from your office machine. The same rule applies for storing other information that is of a personal nature. Keeping your personal life and professional life apart probably applies most when it comes to security of information.
Fraudulent phone calls
Sometimes, while you are busy at work, just to get over with telemarketing calls, you may unconsciously give out sensitive personal details to the caller. Avoid it. For any call where you are required to reveal your account or credit/debit card number for certain transactions/enquiries, always insist that you be routed to an interactive voice response system (IVR). On an IVR, you punch in the number manually and the system recognises the DTMF tones generated by your phone. If you are using a landline telephone with a pulse/tone option, switch over to Tone or 'T' option and then punch in the numbers. If it does not have this option and only uses pulse, make the call some other time from a phone having the Tone option.
Wireless devices
Devices like laptops and mobile phones using the Blackberry service must be guarded very closely. Only employees who absolutely need to use these devices must be allocated the same. While you are travelling, never leave your laptop or Blackberry unattended. While travelling by air, never check it in registered baggage unless the airport/airline/security personnel ask you to do so. Carry it with you as cabin baggage. Enable finger print recognition in laptops. Avoid using the wallet feature in mobiles.
There is much more that can be done to ensure security of your data. The reason why we need to be on guard today is because more information is being exchanged across the globe now than ever before. While earlier it would take a few minutes for a telegraph to be transmitted, a text message now can travel the globe in a fraction of a second!
On the other hand, the head of a household who has stored the family's financial data on his desktop can go into a state of shock if his house is broken into and the computer stolen. Thieves may often not be interested so much in the gadget's value as in the information it contains and the potential for bigger gains by manipulating it. So here are some general tips to help you keep your personal information safe:
Store business and personal information separately
Avoid storing your Form 16 soft copy on your office desktop. If you have downloaded it to take a printout, delete the file or forward it to your personal email address and wipe it out from your office machine. The same rule applies for storing other information that is of a personal nature. Keeping your personal life and professional life apart probably applies most when it comes to security of information.
Fraudulent phone calls
Sometimes, while you are busy at work, just to get over with telemarketing calls, you may unconsciously give out sensitive personal details to the caller. Avoid it. For any call where you are required to reveal your account or credit/debit card number for certain transactions/enquiries, always insist that you be routed to an interactive voice response system (IVR). On an IVR, you punch in the number manually and the system recognises the DTMF tones generated by your phone. If you are using a landline telephone with a pulse/tone option, switch over to Tone or 'T' option and then punch in the numbers. If it does not have this option and only uses pulse, make the call some other time from a phone having the Tone option.
Wireless devices
Devices like laptops and mobile phones using the Blackberry service must be guarded very closely. Only employees who absolutely need to use these devices must be allocated the same. While you are travelling, never leave your laptop or Blackberry unattended. While travelling by air, never check it in registered baggage unless the airport/airline/security personnel ask you to do so. Carry it with you as cabin baggage. Enable finger print recognition in laptops. Avoid using the wallet feature in mobiles.
There is much more that can be done to ensure security of your data. The reason why we need to be on guard today is because more information is being exchanged across the globe now than ever before. While earlier it would take a few minutes for a telegraph to be transmitted, a text message now can travel the globe in a fraction of a second!
1 comment:
Digital signature are life savers as you said that Critical business statistics and more importantly, sensitive personal information about customers like PAN, debit card details etc if compromised, can lead to lawsuits and losses in billions of rupees for the company.
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