Access control can be a touchy subject for some employees, especially for those who might feel they can do their jobs more effectively if they were to be given access to certain files or sensitive information. That said, in the interest of network security and data protection, it is your responsibility to consider who amongst your staff has access to certain information and why.

We’re here to detail why access control is important, how to determine who needs access to which data, and what could happen if you fail to implement access control measures.

Why is Access Control Important?

When we say “access control,” we really mean restricting access to specific data on your company’s network based on your employees’ roles within your organization. Partitioning data off in this way means that fewer people are accessing it, meaning less opportunities for hacking attacks utilizing those employees’ credentials and a much lower chance that someone misplaces or deletes files. Plus, depending on the type of data that your organization accumulates, it could potentially be subject to the various data privacy regulations that have surfaced in the past several years.

Who Needs Access?

Every organization is different, so we can only offer general guidelines here, but the long and short of it is that employees should have access to data that they need in their day-to-day duties and nothing more… unless, of course, they happen to develop a need for certain data, in which case you should have a procedure for them requesting access to such data.

That said, a couple of situations stand out as obvious. Human Resources is the only department that needs access to employees’ personal records, payroll is the only department that needs access to banking details for direct deposit, sales and marketing are the only departments that need access to customer data, etc. It’s just a matter of assessing who within your organization needs access to what data and then acting accordingly.

What Could Happen?

If your employees have access to data that they should not be privy to, it can create all sorts of problems, particularly if their accounts are compromised. Again, it just creates a situation where there are more ways to access data than necessary, and the more entry points a hacker has, the more likely they are to succeed in their ill-conceived schemes.

Of course, you also have to worry about what would happen if they found information that made them upset. For example, an employee who is already disenfranchised with your business finding a list of salaries might just be the breaking point that sets them over the edge. While insider threats are not as common as you might think, they should still be taken into consideration.

Implement Access Control Measures Today

Really, at the end of the day, access control should be a staple in your business for countless reasons, but the biggest one is simply that employees just don’t have any business accessing data that they have no reason to access. Dresner Group can help your organization set up an infrastructure with access controls that keep security at the top of your priority list. To learn more, reach out to us at (410) 531-6727.