7 Steps to Successfully Protecting Confidential Information —J of A

CPA Firms Emphasize Privacy Efforts as Pressure Mounts From Regulatory Requirements, Professional Standards, and Client Expectations 

CPA firms and other businesses that maintain confidential client data are vulnerable to external and internal threats, including inadvertently leaking data and being targeted by hackers, reports the Journal of Accountancy.  Seven steps can help businesses assess which data need protecting, upgrade defenses, and draft and practice an incident-response plan. The following steps can help firms mitigate the risk of a reputation-damaging data breach:

• Identify and classify the types of information the firm maintains. 
• Assess your current controls and the threats facing high-risk data. 
• Upgrade protection strategies as needed.
• Review the impact of vendors and third-party service providers. 
• Know the requirements of applicable data privacy protection laws and regulations. 
• Destroy sensitive or confidential data when it is no longer needed. 
• Develop, implement, and test an incident-response plan.

Read the whole piece here. 

Protecting Confidential Information is Critical