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10. Update Old Technology: Technology is more affordable than ever before, and high-end updates and protections are now available for anyone to use. This offers you a litany of options, but keep in mind that this also means many hackers have access to these options. Sticking with old tech puts you at a greater risk as scammers become more advanced. Your ability to protect yourself has to adapt, too, and with it, so does your technology. 11. Be Mindful When Merging: In 2015, the hotelier company Marriott International acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Shortly after, a large hack left half a billion people’s personal information vulnerable and stolen by the dark web. The problem? Marriott International didn’t properly vet or improve Starwood’s security and protection systems prior to merging. The result was catastrophic for the hotel giant. Take a lesson from this mistake and always properly secure your technology and systems from both ends before merging with other tech or parties. 12. Receive Alerts: If you cannot prevent fraudulent activity, you can stop it almost immediately after it happens by signing up for text and email alerts from your credit card companies and bank accounts. This notification will be the best way to protect yourself from charges you do not make, whether they are done maliciously by a thief or accidentally by a team member.
CHARLES HENSEN’S TOP 13 TECH TIPS FOR DENTAL PRACTICES
"Remember, the time to think about upgrading your tech needs is not when you’re in the middle of a technology crisis."
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Password Protection Policy: Hackers like to press their luck, and in doing so, they may just pound out password attempts until they find the right one. For this reason, you MUST have a policy that states, “If the password attempts have failed three times, the system must be locked down.” It can be finicky to be locked out of your system, especially since human error makes three failed attempts very possible. Yet, you’ll be thankful for this protection when a hacker is shut down after the third attempt. Change Your Passwords: A password defends your system from those who do not need to be inside of it from infiltrating it. But when your defense system is as easy as “123456” or “qwerty,” it’s doing nothing to protect your practice from hackers. Gone are the days when a simple password suffices. Today, you must have a passcode that is unique, involves multiple characters, and is regularly updated. Computer Updates: Your IT professional should update your software and programs. Ensure this is happening by communicating with your IT team on a regular basis. Are they updating programs like Adobe, Java, or Windows? What does your firewall look like? This communication keeps you abreast of the consistent changes that can happen in tech while ensuring your IT team is doing all it can to protect your practice. Encryption: Every single device in your practice MUST be encrypted. Read that again. Every. Single. Device. This includes computers, laptops, cellphones, iPads and tablets, security systems, and more. If your devices are hacked or stolen, the encryption acts as a secret barrier between your hacker and your information. The data can be cleared completely from your device or illegible to the hackers. (Don’t worry about your data post-encryption. Proper encryption involves secure backup systems. Keep reading to learn more about the value of these!)
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Secure Internet Gateway: These products can verify that you’re accessing the correct website without mistyping something. One slip-up could land you in the middle of a hostile battleground. Insecure gateways hang a welcome sign for scammers and thieves onto your practice. Antivirus: What antivirus are you running? McAfee and Norton aren’t as good as they used to be because of the sophistication of today’s ransomware. Having this software in place protects you from intrusions, but if your program is only catching a handful of what might come at you, it’s not doing the work you and your patients need for protection. Your antivirus must be TOP TIER to do its job. Multifactor Authentication: This should be on everything from your data storage to personal email addresses. Asking for a two or multistep identification process ensures hackers have many hoops to jump through and further complicates their mission. These layers protect you from many hackers. Back Up Everything: Your backup system is a safety net that will catch all your data and information should it be stolen or damaged. Today, hackers hold information hostage and demand ransom for the data, and through backups, you can ensure you don’t have to pay ransoms and can mend the situation swiftly. Backups should be in a secure offsite location. (It should be encrypted, too!) Monitor the Dark Web: Your IT team should be able to track the dark web for you to monitor any leaks or potential personal information for sale. It’s much easier to recover when you find the leaks sooner rather than later.
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13. Security Awareness: Your greatest
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weakness in defending your practice from hackers and thieves could be the very people you trust to run it every day or the patients you treat ... simply because of a lack of education. In fact, the FBI reports that 95% of breaches could have been prevented with user education. Protect yourself from this in the following ways. a. Set Policies: Much like it’s a hassle to have three failed attempts lockdown your access, policies can appear as
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