4 ways to keep your client and business information safe

Cyber-attacks are a serious threat to all businesses including financial services. With the majority of the workforce now working remotely, it’s even more important for you and your business to make cybersecurity a priority. Here are four ways you can help to keep your client and business information safe.

1. Use a strong password

A strong password is a key component to protecting your information from being easily accessed. Think of your passwords as the “keys to your kingdom.” Strong passwords consist of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. They should also be a minimum of 15 characters long.

Tip: Use a digital password manager solution as an alternative to writing passwords down. They are a convenient, cost-effective way to manage complex passwords over multiple platforms.

2. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Strong passwords are essential, but enabling and using multi-factor authentication provides you with an additional level of security. This method requires you to provide two or more pieces of evidence to verify your identity and gain access to an application.

Each piece must come from a different category: something you know (e.g., a password), something you have (e.g., a text message code sent to your phone), or something that uniquely identifies who you are (e.g., a fingerprint).

Example: When you first signed up for ClientWorks, you had to enter a code that was sent to your phone in a text message.

3. Invest in cloud storage

This is another cost-effective service that allows data and files to be securely stored in a remote location and accessed via a public or private internet connection. We recommend using a cloud backup and storage vendor to house your data and keep it secure. To comply with LPL’s Branch Office Security Policy, your cloud storage provider must encrypt data and must offer MFA.

4. Beware of phishing emails

Think before you click! Phishing emails are suspicious emails received from an unknown sender. Typically, these emails have generic greetings, create a sense of urgency, and have spelling or grammatical errors. Use your “Report Phishing” button to send any suspicious email to our team for review. We’ll respond to let you know whether the email sender is safe to interact with.

Tip: Please email Security Awareness to get download instructions to add the button.

If you have additional questions or would like to learn more information about any of these best practices, email [email protected].

If you’d like help setting up a secure office, explore the Remote Office Solution.