Simple Steps to Safeguard Your Office During the Festive Break

A few simple steps can help protect your business over the holiday period and reduce the risk of disruption.

Before you sign off for the holidays, take these steps to safeguard your business and client information:

• Lock up or securely dispose of all physical files. Use locked storage for documents you need to keep and shred any you no longer require.
• Keep laptops, tablets and phones out of sight and secure.
• Sign out of all accounts and devices. Leaving sessions open increases the risk of unauthorized access.
• Update your software. Outdated systems are easy targets for cyber criminals. Enable automatic updates to simplify the process.
• Back up your files regularly. Use a physical device (such as an external hard drive) or cloud storage to protect against data loss, theft and malware.
• Remove user permissions for staff who have left or no longer require access. This includes shared accounts. Unauthorised access by former employees is a common cause of identity security or fraud issues for businesses.

Source: ATO