In the modern age, every business deals with sensitive data that must be protected. Customer personal and payment information, proprietary business information, employee personal information, and absolutely anything financial are all essential private data.
Fleet services may also need to consider the safety of additional address and location data that may be considered sensitive.
The cybersecurity threats of today are also considerable. Every business, big or small, is a potential target and hackers know how to turn everyday data into a weapon. So it's important that every business including corporate fleets secure their data carefully against both cybersecurity and accidental data breach risks.
How do you secure fleet data from security threats? There are several smart strategies to implement with your fleet, systems, and team.
Identify Private & Sensitive Fleet Data
The first step of data security is to identify the data that needs to be secured. This is any data that is personal, financial, or otherwise sensitive to exploit. Anything that could be used in identity theft or financial fraud is sensitive information.
Private information about how your company functions - and specific reports or stats - are proprietary and sensitive. If your services include information about your clients like package contents or plumbing design, even this might be considered sensitive.
The best approach is often to secure everything by default and take additional steps to secure, monitor, and protect your fleet's sensitive and at-risk data.
Train Your Drivers in Data Security
Team-member security protocol is essential. For a fleet, this means your drivers as well as any HQ staff and other department teams. Your drivers and teams need to know how to work with your company's security measures and how to keep customers & company data secure in their day-to-day work.
Password Safety
Walk your teams through creative password creation, memorization, and use. Make sure everyone is using their own logins and cover the importance of not sharing passwords with friends, family, or even coworkers to maintain security.
Protecting Customer Information
Talk about customer information that is sensitive and at-risk. Explain how identity theft can use even innocent-seeming information. Home addresses and payment information, for example, is enough to cause someone real trouble.
Coach your team in how to protect customer data from unauthorized eyes when on the job and to treat that data with respect when copying or moving it.
Keeping Routes and Drivers Safe
Location is a potentially sensitive data point. The exact location of your drivers, for example, could be used to intercept or follow your trucks and can put your drivers at risk. Protect location data and train your team to keep their exact location data private for their own safety.
Check Your Network and Tech Stack Cybersecurity
Make sure your tech stack is secure. A business tech stack is your network, servers, and all your enterprise software working together. Both software and defensive programs can either create cybersecurity or security gaps.
Ensure that your tech stack is made of coordinated and secure software and that your servers and networks are protected with reliable cybersecurity measures.
Software with End-to-End Encryption
Most fleets use mobile software to communicate between the fleet manager and drivers. This is done with mobile devices and wireless software, which needs to be secured. Because some hackers can pick streaming bits of data out of transit, it's vital that mobile and fleet data be encrypted end-to-end.
This means the data is encrypted at headquarters, sent encrypted, and is read securely by the receiving app - and the same in reverse for sending data back. Encryption ensures that even if your data is stolen or peeked at, only encoded gibberish is seen.
Data-Safe Vehicle Technology
Finally, be sure that any vehicle data installations are also a part of your fleet securing measures. OBD readers, installed vehicle devices, any technology used between clients, HQ, and drivers should be secured as part of your tech stack.
Vehicle installations are often overlooked because they are outside the typical server structure, but any business with a fleet must consider data security both on and off the road.
Get Started with Secured Fleet Data
Are you ready to protect your fleet data with cybersecurity measures and team training? With a team that understands data security and the right safety-configured software stack, any fleet can stay secure and still streamline your process with a constant flow of data. Contact us today to consult on your fleet's data security and secure data strategy.
