Tax Season Security

It is that time of year when tax season is in full swing. You are probably getting ready to send your documents to your tax preparer, but, are you sending them securely?

While your tax preparer is a highly trusted advisor, the highly sensitive data contained in tax documents is an identity thief’s dream. Think of all the crucial identifying information that these documents consist of—names, addresses, social security numbers, bank account numbers, and tax id numbers, just to name a few.  If business owners and employees take a few extra steps to ensure the security of this information, the chances of identity theft are

dramatically reduced.

The list below provides suggestions for keeping your documents secure, reducing the risk of  your business becoming a victim.

•  Delivering documents IN PERSON is the MOST secure. 
• FAXING documents IS a secure option. 
• Do NOT send documents via UNENCYPTED EMAIL. 
• Only use an encrypted  FILE SHARING service. 
• If your accountant connects to your system, invest in software specifically designed for SECURE REMOTE ACCESS, that includes a file transfer feature.

Password Security & Password Vaults

Do your passwords meet current security recommendations? 

Take a quick quiz to find out: 

1) Am I using a different password for every hosted application and website I login to?

2)  Are all of my passwords at least 14 characters long?

3) Do all of my passwords contain at  least one capital letter, one number and one special character?

If you answered “No” to any of these, you are at risk of a security breach.

Think of it like this — When you use one password, or a combination of similar passwords, for everything you access it is like possessing a master key that unlocks every door in your life. You would not rely on a single key to open the doors in your home, car, office, post office box, and safety deposit box. The same goes for your electronic life.In 2016, 62% of data theft victims were small to mid-sized businesses. 40% of these breaches were caused by external intrusions. Reusing a password, or using similar passwords, increases your risk of becoming part of these statistics.

How are you going to remember multiple passwords that meet the security standards? How can you be certain your end users have unique, strong, passwords for all of their hosted applications and websites without losing their minds?

The answer - a password vault. Password vaults store user names and passwords for each website. The vault encrypts each users password database with a master password, making the master password the only one you need to remember! Business grade solutions even push website login information to your end users without them ever having to know the passwords.

 

Contact DCR 918-436-1830 for more information.