As an organization, you may have many digital accounts, from Twitter and Facebook to Google Analytics. If an employee sets up these online assets through a personal account, and then leaves the company without giving you access—or the passwords—you can be left in the dark.
Not only will you have no access to your company assets, you have no control over what a former employee may do with the accounts.
Why does this happen? According to the policies of many social media companies, your company doesn't own the accounts if they were created using an employee's personal account. Even if you report the account as yours, it may not lead anywhere. Many online channels are hesitant to get involved with personal disputes.
How can you safeguard yourself and make sure you own your digital assets? Here are a few best practices:
- Use a work email address to create all digital accounts
- Create a document that lists all digital assets, login info, and who has access to them
- Limit the number of people who have admin access to digital accounts
- Remove employees from digital accounts before their last day, and change the passwords
By taking a few extra steps up-front when you set up your digital assets, you can save time in the future and stay in control of your organization's reputation. Learn more about protecting your most important digital asset in our post Do you Own Your Domain Name?