ChurchSafety

See also: Assessment: Is Your Data Left Unguarded?  

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Computers allow churches to collect and store vast amounts of personal information. Unsecured, this data is vulnerable to computer criminals—putting your ministry and church members at risk.

You wouldn't leave members' personal information lying out in the open, but you're doing a similar thing if you're not protecting the information stored on your ministry's computers. Thanks to the Internet, your computers are exposed to millions of people every time you're online. This group includes hackers, identity thieves, and others intent on harm.

Safeguarding ministry computers not only makes business sense, but it also can reduce the likelihood of crippling data loss, embarrassing public disclosures, and lawsuits.

To determine if you need to secure your church's network, ask yourself what would happen if the information you store about people fell into the wrong hands, recommends Stuart Washington, president of Stewardship Technology. The Howard, Ohio, company helps churches manage tithes, offerings, and other donations electronically. "If this data were lost, could you be sued for it?" Washington asks. "If you can be sued for it, you need to secure it."

Safeguarding computers can help you protect important financial and business information, preserve confidential files, and reduce liability stemming from the release of this data.

Business and financial data. A virus infection may cause your ministry to lose crucial business information, since the cure commonly involves stripping computers of data and reinstalling everything. If you don't back up vital business data regularly, your ministry might have to recreate records from scratch, a slow and costly process.

Confidential information. What would happen if your church contribution records were posted on the Internet for all to see? What if the records included those of a prominent politician seeking re-election? As with confidential counseling notes, you must protect financial and other sensitive information from prying eyes.

Liability. At least 23 states have laws requiring businesses, large and small, to report data breaches, according to the Better Business Bureau. If you have a data breach resulting from weak security practices, your ministry may be sued by federal agencies, state agencies, or your own members. Even if you aren't sued, a data breach could injure your members and damage your ministry's reputation.

Your best defense is a good offense. Taking simple steps to increase knowledge, improve security, and limit unauthorized access to data will go a long way toward protecting members' personal information. Computer professionals who work with churches offer the following advice:

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See Related Assessment:

Is Your Data Left Unguarded?

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