Tips for Protecting Your Records on a Computer
by Gary August, Esq.
There are many benefits to using technology, but you also need to protect yourself from computer viruses, fraud, credit card or identity theft and data loss. Gary August, Esq., an expert in labor, employment and discrimination law and a shareholder at the law firm of Zausmer, Kaufman, August and Caldwell, offers these tips:
• Back up (i.e., duplicate onto a disk or CD) all of your files every day at the end of the day.
• Find an experienced computer specialist to help you manage security. This professional will be able to protect and recover data, which will be invaluable in an emergency and save you enormous amounts of time and money.
• Work closely with your computer specialist to establish security systems such as a firewall (a barrier against hackers and offensive material), confidential passwords and anti-virus software. This way, you can protect your business and control who has access to private documents and personal information. Plus, customers will feel more confident using your system.
• Seek legal counsel to ensure that all necessary disclaimers appear on your website. There should be no misleading information claiming security and privacy measures that, in fact, you do not have. You’ll want to include a privacy statement on how you collect and use visitor information, whether or not that data is confidential, terms about changes to privacy policies and appropriate contact information. Check out the online disclosure statements of several large companies to get an idea of what these statements should look like.
For additional information, check with your local chamber of commerce, university or small business club. They will be able to refer you to reputable technology services and experts in your area who can assist with your security issues.
