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Importance of Online Security – Are You Taking the Proper Precautions?

Whether at work or at home, most of us are online on a frequent basis to socialize, research, browse, perform specific job duties, and communicate with customers or employees; after all, receiving immediate answers and results contributes greatly to whether a business runs smoothly and effectively. Unfortunately, the convenience of modern technology isn’t everything if you aren’t careful; in fact, online activity comes with considerable security risks to keep in mind and consider.

In what sense you might wonder? Hackers are constantly fishing for new ways in which they can obtain sensitive personal information through the web, and while document shredding is imperative in protecting your identity, protecting your identity online is of equal importance and should not be taken lightly.

As experts in protecting confidential data, A1 DATASHRED wants to remind our customers to take proper measures in remaining cautious online to stay protected from fraud or information theft. Of course, while the internet is an incredibly powerful tool that makes our lives so much easier in a lot of ways, cyber theft and fraud are the two biggest threats that unfortunately come with the territory!

We’d like to share with you some basic security advice you should be considering the next time you find yourself browsing, shopping, or sharing information over the web.

Online Shopping that is Safe and Secure

To remain secure and protected online, there are some rather valuable procedures and habits to take into consideration. For example, always come up with strong passwords that are long, challenging-to-guess, and consist of a combination of both numbers and lower/upper case letters. Enjoy shopping online? Don’t forget to verify whether the retailer’s security certificate is present and that the website you are using is a trusted source. If your computer system lacks sufficient security software, you will be a lot more vulnerable to such cyber risks like viruses and other malicious software. Remember that if you are exposed to a damaging virus, any data that is shared or processed on that computer could be in trouble. Possible issues that could stem from this occurring include theft of personally identifiable information, bank account information, and finally, credit card numbers. To prevent falling victim to these unfortunate circumstances, always verify there is a HTTPS lock symbol in your browser address window while making any online purchases.

Social Media Accounts

As social media platforms continue to dominate the online world, this creates more opportunities and outlets in which criminals can find your profile and attempt to steal personal data. If you’re exploring on Facebook or browsing Instagram, refrain from exposing personal information like your social security number. While obvious to most, sadly, there are still people who willingly publicize this information which can lead to dangerous consequences. still happen and can lead to alarming consequences. We also suggest that you make a habit of changing your online passwords on an ongoing basis. There is no need to provide detailed personal information on your social accounts, but if you do, it is best to stay away from details such as your place of business, hometown, or birth date. Don’t store credit card information online even if the source appears trustworthy; the same should go during any third-party app purchases. Take a good look at friend requests because in a lot of cases, cyber criminals will act under fake profiles to connect with you in hopes to discover your personal information for fraudulent behavior.

Anti-Virus Security Measures

Purchasing quality anti-virus software is most definitely worth the investment as it will protect you enormously online! With that in mind, doing adequate research online to weigh out your options prior to purchasing, is worth doing to obtain the best value and protection for your purchase. Paid protection is more effective than free. Whatever you do, do not skip using antivirus software as it’s extremely critical for maintaining your online safety.

Businesses of all industry specialties who regularly create, store, or share confidential information both internally and externally, should be implementing professional shredding services for the highest level of security. This includes hard drive destruction, data destruction, and both on-site and off-site document shredding.

At A1 DATASHRED, we will work with you to determine a shredding program that is most suitable for your needs; we’ll also handle the secure destruction of your electronic media as well, protecting you from every angle. Whether you have hard drives or backup tapes to dispose of, we’ll handle the entire process for you, ensuring the protection of your security is our top priority. Our professional solutions guarantee that your business is protected from data exposure and that you stay compliant with important privacy laws.

Get in touch with our team for further details about our secure document shredding and hard drive shredding services.

Call 1-888-95-SHRED

April 30, 2019