Why Freelancers Should Learn to Protect Their Data Too

Being a freelancer means in many ways straying away from the typical structures of popular organizations and other mainstream practices. But in terms of the freelance way of life, you’ve got to build that business from within. You need to remember that appealing to clients and colleagues is critical, and therefore you need to ensure that when you are dealing with others you prioritize professionalism, especially in terms of protecting data. Why should freelancers learn to protect their data and what can you do to develop this?

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It Breeds Trust

There are so many businesses that are losing clients because they’ve been hacked by cyber attackers. You may think that you are immune to this because you are such a small business in comparison to others, but if you find that you are the victim of any form of cyber fraud, you will not just lose sensitive data but you will lose your clients’ trust in the process. There are simple ways for you to do this, for example, setting up a VPN (virtual private network) or learning how to protect your IP address. Clients need to feel confident that any sensitive information is in a responsible pair of hands.

Personal Privacy

You will handle a lot of your own records. From your clients’ contact details to your creative work and your financial records, you need to keep all of that secure. If you are someone who is in charge of every aspect of your taxes and you haven’t got an accountant to do it for you, it becomes even more important to understand the impact of what would happen if all of your data was stolen or compromised. For any freelancer, maintaining their personal privacy is critical because it ensures that they can have that peace of mind. Ensuring that you are encrypting any data and storing it in the cloud via reputable resources is the most important option here. When you handle personal information, you also need to be aware of the impacts of letting it loose, for example, if you share too much information on social media. You need to not just know how to protect private information but also have the right attitude towards it.

Protecting Intellectual Property 

If you work as a creative freelancer, you need to protect your data. Understanding intellectual property rights and preventing any unauthorized use of your work ensures that you are staying on the right side of the legalities. Sometimes we can think as freelancers that we should allow others to use our images or work because it may net us more clients. But you’ve got to try to find a balance here. Many organizations will be more than happy to use your work and not compensate you for it. Therefore, we should understand some of the ins and outs of intellectual property laws. So if you have to deal with an intellectual property lawyer further down the line, you will have a better understanding of your rights.

Professionalism in Every Practice

We should take data protection seriously. When we are looking for ways to show that we are trustworthy individuals who demonstrate professionalism to clients, we need to take the concept of data protection and truly run with it. Many freelancers look to the concept of doing work with professionals as not necessarily as strict as in a professional setting. Arguably, freelancers need to be even more professional, and they’ve got a lot more to learn because they have to demonstrate professionalism right off the bat rather than being protected by a rigid professional structure. This means taking every aspect of your services seriously, including data protection. 

Accounting for Business Continuity

Looking after your data doesn’t just mean that if you end up being exposed to a data breach, you know how to deal with it, but you can also contribute to the continuity of your business operations. The loss of any data can be devastating to your workflow and therefore your earning capacity. Knowing how to protect your data through the aforementioned VPN or understanding how to keep your business going in light of any data breach will make a massive difference to the quality of your work and your reputation.

Client Confidentiality

Working with any client is about understanding that they may be sharing sensitive information at any one time. If you know how to protect your data effectively by encrypting sensitive files, updating your software, and being cautious when you are engaging with external sources, you will build that trust between yourself and the client so you can look more professional and this will result in far more effective working relationships in the long run.

It’s not just about being professional but it’s about making sure that you know how to protect your data so you can provide that extra edge over your clients.