Clear Path step · Business · Your industry's rules and risks
Separate client data and delete it after the engagement
Why it matters: Clients hire you partly to protect their information, and attackers target small firms to reach larger clients. Separation limits any breach to one client; deletion limits it in time.
On your path if you picked “Professional services” for “What's your industry?”.
Do it
- Create one folder or workspace per client with access by team.
- Turn off 'anyone with the link' sharing by default.
- Return or delete data at the end of each engagement per the contract.
- Use secure file sharing for sensitive transfers.
Check it worked: Each client's files live in their own access-controlled space, only the team on the engagement can open them, and data is returned or deleted at the end.
Simply put
It's like giving each client their own locked filing cabinet instead of one shared drawer. A breach stays with one client, and returning or deleting files at the end limits it in time too.
In detail
Oversharing becomes more visible once AI assistants inside your suite can surface any file a user can open; fix sharing before turning those on.
Points toward the Long View: client files arranged so AI assistants surface only what each team should see.