Stop the Frustration and Risk of Unchecked Access to Files and Folders

Following the recent updates to FileAudit, we discuss how automated responses to file moves, deletions and other access events can help SMBs, and the MSPs that service them, protect sensitive data from theft, alteration and loss.

Have you ever been asked to find out who moved years of archived PDF files, who deleted important client folders, or prove that only authorized access has been granted? That feeling of frustration is when you realize unchecked access to files and folders such as a file move, deletion, rename etc. is risking the alteration or loss of your company data. An Industry study showed “60 percent of companies that lose their data close down within six months of the disaster and a staggering 72 percent of businesses that suffer major data loss disappear within 24 months.”

And that’s not to forget the risk of cyberattacks. Sensitive data will most often reside within your corporate file servers and shared drives. They contain valuable assets such as credit card information, health records, intellectual properties, or personal information on customers or employees. It’s a simple fact that those determined to steal or modify data must access the files they wish to compromise. According to Security Magazine, the average cost of a data breach for a small business is $36,000 to $50,000. Unchecked access to files and folders is risking the theft of this data.

And yet despite this, file access security is still viewed as an unwelcome cost, rather than an enabler of business solutions. A tour of any modern office highlights how the everyday use of this data is critical to business success. Data matters to small-medium business success, and thus the security of that data should also matter.

How can a small business protect its data?

Firstly, to address the human aspect of security, we know that better education must be part of the solution. However it is not enough. The challenge is to accept that users are indeed human. Humans are flawed, they are careless and often exploited. Prepare for the worst.

Secondly, as ‘tech’ becomes more user-friendly, the unfortunate thinking for many small and medium businesses is that a “DIY approach to IT” is the way to go. But surely an SMB’s time and energy is better spent leading the business forward, not firefighting and getting distracted by the IT issues holding them back. That’s a job often best left to the professionals. Buying in IT support services from a Managed Service Provider (MSP) can be daunting but this technology services buyer’s guide offers a helpful framework to properly assess and benchmark your options.

Thirdly, file auditing solutions for an SMB, should not be any less effective than it is for an enterprise client. The data is no less sensitive, the disruption no less serious. They need enterprise caliber defense in terms of focus and effectiveness, but with SMB sensibilities in terms of implementation and use.

Automated controls for effective file access security

Knowing that even big global corporations with large budgets struggle, it’s totally understandable that busy SMBs have nowhere near the time, focus, and expertise to deal with the risk from improper file and folder access. But if you agree with the ‘when’ not ‘if‘ premise, then you already know your security strategy is incomplete and requires more investment. Security doesn’t have to come at a high cost – but it does have to be effective in relation to its cost.

To achieve maximum impact with minimum effort, SMB and the MSP servicing them should look for a file access auditing solution that offers automated controls. Should something fall outside a set of established restrictions, your solution should automatically take action before the damage is done – not only when IT intervenes. What’s more, non-disruptive solutions that work alongside existing infrastructure don’t frustrate IT Teams. Security solutions with ‘stickiness’ tend to be simple to implement and intuitive to manage.

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