Keeping data safe with remote wipe

Businesses of any size need to be prepared to handle worst-case scenario when it comes to protecting company data. The loss or theft of laptops and desktop are real threats, an employee could have left a laptop with confidential work information at a coffee shop, or have it stolen on a business trip. Another very probable situation would be a disgruntled employee sharing data with a competitor.

Remote wipe prevents data from getting into the hands of the wrong people. If a laptop or computer is lost or stolen, IT managers can use remote wipes to protect sensitive business data by completely removing it from the machine remotely.

However, remote wipes should only be done as a last resort in situations where it has been deemed that the device is not retrievable or where IT is completely certain that all important data has been backed up and can be restored to a new device.

Preparing for remote wipe

Remote wipe should not be used without having a secure well thought out safety net that ensures data security and continuity. While having sensitive data get into the hands of a competitor is not ideal, neither is completely erasing files from a device that is not in fact been compromised.

For remote wipe to be an effective tool it is critical that IT has in place systems that backup data regularly, encrypt local data and have a geo-locate feature so that devices can possibly be tracked.

Endpoint backups ensure that data being stored on any device is able to be restored from the backup to a new device, allowing employees to get back to work quickly and easily. Encryption ensures that data stored on computers is protected and only accessible by authorised users.

Is remote wipe right for my business?

Remote wipe is valuable to any business can be negatively impacted by company data getting into the wrong hands. If your employees regularly work with and store the following types of information locally on their laptops or desktops you should consider using remote wipe:

• Financial data
• Sales strategies
• Client information
• Billing details
• Propriety information
• New product plans

Remote wipe, backup, encryption and geo-locate in one solution

Cibecs is a complete endpoint data backup and protection solution. The software allows IT managers to deploy the software and policies remotely to users. To see Cibecs in action view the full demo here