Whether you’re managing financial accounts or exchanging files over cloud storage, your business likely engages with sensitive and valuable data. Having a reliable network security service provider is one of the best ways you can defend your company’s data against third parties—such as hackers. However, it’s still important to practice security at every level, and this includes the use of strong passwords to protect your devices and accounts. To help ensure your company’s digital assets don’t end up in the wrong hands, here’s what your staff should and shouldn’t do when creating a secure password.

Do:

Mix up characters.

Complex passwords are harder to decrypt. In general, you should use a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. For example, “b3$tBuS!ness” would be more secure than using “BestBusiness” for a password.

Make it long.

The shorter a password is, the easier it will be for third parties to decipher. For this reason, network security service providers encourage clients to choose passwords that are about 12 to 16 characters long.  

Change as needed.

Changing your passwords once every month can make them more difficult to remember and end up wasting company time. However, it’s still important to change your password whenever there’s a chance that someone else may have ended up with it. For example, you should make a change if you left your accounts open on a shared device, recently fired an employee who had access to a computer, or your network security service provider has identified a potential threat.  

Don’t:

Choose dictionary words.

When malicious parties try to decrypt passwords, they use randomized software to try and “guess” the terms. Dictionary words are among the easiest to guess. As such, you should avoid making your password one or two common words. Instead, try to use terms that only you would know—such as a name.

Share with others.

Sharing your password with others dramatically increases the risk that an unauthorized party will end up with the information. Even if you trust the other person, they may not practice proper security techniques and end up putting your password in someone else’s hands.

Use the same password across devices and accounts.

Using the same password for all of your accounts may make it easier to remember them, but it will also make it easier for a hacker to access all of your data. If you have trouble remembering which passwords are for which accounts, create a list on paper and store it in a secure location—such as a safe.

When you want to protect your business assets, turn to the specialists at Integral Choice. Based in Marietta, GA, this network security service provider can introduce your company to many data protection resources—such as encrypted cloud storage and secure fax solutions. If you need to streamline your business telecommunications, the team is also equipped to optimize fiber networks, VoIP connections, wireless communications, contact center solutions, and more. To learn more about their capabilities, visit this telecom leader online or call (888) 722-5580.