There are many different aspects of a company’s computers and networks that the IT staff has to worry about. One thing that will certainly need to be dealt with on a regular basis is issues surrounding user accounts. User accounts are needed to maintain security. However, they can also sometimes cause significant problems. Below are some tips that can help you limit problems with user accounts.
Maintain High Password Security
Obviously, one of the most important issues regarding user accounts revolves around passwords. Password security is extremely important. If passwords fall into the wrong hands, it could mean criminals or corporate saboteurs gaining access to your data. Always make sure that employees are trained on how to set passwords that cannot be easily cracked with digital tools. They should also be trained to never share passwords with others. If passwords are compromised, they must be reset immediately. Passwords secure valuable information and in most cases, that information is integral to the individuals running things. Taking the time to remember your passwords makes things so much easier for everyone involved.
System Audits and User Account Management
Another integral part of user account management should be routine system audits. For many large companies, the amount of people that have access to company networks can continue to grow on a regular basis. It may become hard to properly supervise without a complete system audit. Such an audit can give you an overview of exactly who is accessing user accounts and where. If there is suspicious account activity going on, you should be able spot it during the audit. Being able to track all access points and the profiles that did the accessing enables professionals to keep their systems secure and reliable.
Sensitive Data Should Only Be Accessible through Privileged Accounts
Not all company data should be accessible by all user accounts in the network. Instead, more sensitive data should only be accessible through accounts with special privileges. You should absolutely make sure access to the certain databases and kinds of information that could be taken advantage of is rather limited. Access should only be given to as small a group of people as possible. People lower in the organization or new hires may be more susceptible to misusing such data such as selling it to third parties. Not everyone has the same data security clearance as others do. Making sure the right people are accessing the right data is important.
Implement Temporary Privileges
In certain cases, an employee may only need to access specific sensitive company information for a specific task or project. While it may be easier to simply grant that employee permanent access, applying temporary privileges to that user account can help limit the risk that data could be misused or damaged in the future.
Overall, you must be very careful with user accounts. Their misuse could, in fact, lead to security breaches into your company’s networks. Make sure to manage them properly and audit their use on a regular basis.
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