When faced with difficult economic decisions due to a reduction in funding, many nonprofit organizations find the task of keeping business functions aligned with a comprehensive data security plan very challenging.  The unfortunate result is often data security becomes a check list item that gets pushed back until it’s too late and the organization becomes a victim of a computer virus, data loss, or a security breach.  Data protection planning and developing a secure IT environment is integral to preventing data leakage, system downtime and loss of reputation in an increasingly competitive nonprofit marketplace. 

1.  Develop a Security Awareness Program

Many network security attacks are successful due to the lack of a good information security program rather than technical vulnerabilities in a network. 

• Employees should know they should never open emails from unknown senders. 
• Sensitive information should always be stored in a centralized system. 
• Removable storage such as DVD drives, floppy drives, and USB ports should be blocked if they are considered to be a doorway for malware infections or data leakage. 
• It may also make sense to restrict usage of wireless access points.
• Data on portable laptops should always be encrypted. 
• Consider enforcing password complexity policies through Windows domain policies.

2.  Establish Data Backup and Redundancy Systems

Disasters do occur and organizations will experience hardware failures or incidents when users either intentionally or unintentionally delete important data.  A well managed and tested backup system will have the organization up and running in very little time.  It is important that backups are automated to avoid human error and should be tested regularly.  Backup servers or redundant systems should be in place so that an organization can continue working even if a disaster occurs. 

3. Virus Protection and Patch Management

It can be very difficult to keep up with the sometimes daily releases of software updates and patches to address security vulnerabilities.  Many nonprofit organizations turn to a patch management system to handle the task but even this solution can have it’s drawbacks.  Security updates need to be tested before they are applied live to a system as from time to time, vendors issue patches that conflict with other systems in place.   

A good email security service will act as a spam filter, greatly reducing inbox junk mail.  Viruses will be scanned and eliminated before they ever make it to your network. 

The Launch Pad’s technology team has been serving the needs of nonprofit organizations since 1992.  We offer a broad range of discounted, fixed-fee technology services designed to help nonprofit organizations meet their technology and data protection needs within their budget.  We also offer a no-cost technology road-mapping service and provide a quarterly technology grant review for nonprofits. 

To learn more about the services that The Launch Pad offers to nonprofits, sign up for a free Nonprofit Technology Assessmentand receive our Nonprofit Technology Savings Kit when you sign up.  You may also contact Megan Meisner at mmeisner@launchpadonline.com or 813 920 0788 x210.