This month's focus will be on Data Awareness. Now-a-days an over abundance of "DATA" threatens our own productivity and even security. Many of us have hundreds and hundreds of megabytes worth of "DATA", yet do we really now what we have? Can we sit there and account for every piece of information? Do you even know if it's valuable? If you're like most people...then the answer is No.

As a business or individual it is critical that we understand the value of the "DATA" we have, how to properly recognize it, manage it and secure it.

Here are some simple key concepts you can keep in mind when dealing with your "DATA":

• Categorize Your "DATA" for easier recognition - Whether a business or individual recognizing and categorizing the "DATA" you have makes your "DATA" the most valuable product at the tip of your fingers. For example: If a you're a business than customer information, staff information, and the products you provide would be considered valuable pieces of "DATA". If you're an individual, your identification and financial records would be your most valuable.
  
  

• Assess the Quality of Your "DATA" - The "DATA" you have is as valuable as the time you put into to ensure that your information is current, up-to-date and most importantly useful to you and your business. You should spend time evaluating the quality of your "DATA" and doing away with what is old and not of use to you any more.
  
  

• Managing Your "DATA" - Now that you have taken the time to categorize your "DATA" and assessed it's quality, you need to manage it. When setting up a management plan for your "DATA" always consider who will be responsible for either managing of controlling the data. You may also want to consider the whom or what purpose is the "DATA" intended for. Other key factors to consider would be how long should this "DATA" be retained. Remember managing your "DATA" is essential as it ensures usability, preservation and quick access when you need it most.
  
  

• Securing Your "DATA" - It goes without saying that if you care enough to categorize, assess and managing your "DATA" then leaving it unsecured is like handing the keys to your car or worse your home to a perfect stranger. First and foremost you want to back up your "DATA". Some options would be an external hard drive or cloud storage. The point is you want to have a copy of your "DATA" readily available in the event of emergencies. Second, you want ensure that any sensitive information like account numbers or personal identifying information is encrypted. Third, update virus protection and security software. Ensure that all anti-spy- ware, anti-malware, and security software and mechanisms are robust, up-to-date, and that there is a process for periodically checking that they remain up-to-date. There are many software/apps that will allow you to do this (see our IMPORTANT LINKS/INFORMATION below for some examples)

While the topic of Data Awareness can be overwhelming, we hope that these few tips will ease your way in to a better understanding, and a safer/securer way of managing your information.

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