It is national preparedness month, and while we’re not going to talk about a natural disaster, we do have some things you might want to think about in the event of a digital disaster. Today, employees are managing your company websites, social media accounts, hosting accounts, domains and other online profiles. This information can be tied to that employee’s email address, social media accounts or a semi-universal password that the company uses for several things.
Think about email platforms you use for broadcast emails, other software or cloud based tools the company uses for any other purpose.
- Do you know who has access to what?
- Do you know what their access levels are?
- And, what do you do when they leave?
Managing Digital Assets & Passwords
As a marketing and communications firm, we have several employees who manage nearly 50 social media accounts for our clients. Add in the websites we manage, the different software programs and tools we use, client passwords, our own passwords and more – there are a lot of potential vulnerabilities. You have to have a plan to manage and monitor this access.
In the event an employee leaves, a client changes their needs, or even a new staff member is added, you need to know what needs to be changed to keep your own data, client data and other information secure.
Imagine if a key employee left your company, and no one ever monitored all of the Facebook pages that employee had access to. Or, that employee leaves and their manager never updated the website admin password. Now, most people are good people. Still, why leave your company or your clients open to that situation in the first place? Don’t!
- Keep track of who has access, and what level of access to what accounts.
- Have a process in place to update all information when employees leave or join the company.
- Monitor and update passwords and login credentials consistently
- Then, should someone be sick, have an emergency of their own, or choose to move on, you know all of this information and have it in one place, ensuring it is accessible and easy to change if needed.
What Digital Assets Should You Keep Track Of?
- Website logins and permission levels
- Social media logins and permission levels
- Web based tools and other accounts
- Google Analytics
- Domain Accounts
- Hosting accounts
- Software subscriptions
- Company association membership sites
You must keep track of this information, ensure it is current and maintained. Hopefully you haven’t had a true digital disaster. And, after reading this, you can be sure you’re prepared!
