Protecting data and avoiding cyber attacks has become a fundamental aspect for any company. We show you 7 techniques to protect your data.
Information technology and the Internet have, indeed made things easy for us. On the other hand, they have also brought about the rise of security threats. Data privacy and data quality are now big issues, and it’s now essential that the most crucial information and data are protected. The first thing you have to do is sort out the data you consider confidential and need protection so it doesn’t get out. This means that you have to carry out a careful audit of your data to understand what data security is. You also have to know what parts of your data are vulnerable enough and need to be protected. In short, you must carry out a data governance process to have complete control over your data.
In this article you will find...
- Why is data security important?
- Data encryption
- Backup and recovery optimization
- Data masking
- Row level security
- Promote transparecy and compliance
- Cyber insurance
- Work with experts in data
Why is data security important?
There’s no doubt that phishers and hackers —cybercriminals in general— are very smart. So, to nullify the existing risk factors, you have to act smarter than them. With data security techniques, you know the essential steps that you need to take to secure your information and make it intact. You have to note that there are different data security techniques, and not all are relevant or applicable to every company. However, here are 7 of the most effective data security techniques that you can try to secure your data.
1. Data encryption
Industry regulations mostly require that some data types are encrypted, but you could encrypt other kinds of data as well. Some of the common data to encrypt are SMS messages, emails, databases, passwords, user names, etc. Once you have control over your data by a data audit and a data governance or a data management process, you wil find out that, maybe, employee data, customer data, intellectual property, and other sensitive data should be encrypted as well.
Before you consider encryption, check for data, it can cause reputational damage and financial harm if leaked. It isn’t fool-proof, especially with the possibility for the decryption details falling to the wrong person. However, it is an essential first step and shows your company’s seriousness with data security.
2. Backup and recovery optimization
Many companies have plans for backing up and recovering their data, which relies on the DR (disaster recovery) technology. It could be cloud service or offsite servers. Whether this is something to boast about is another discussion. If you are at risk of losing customer data, then you can’t claim to be able to protect it.
Cyber incidents can happen for long without being detected, so it’s essential to restore the data to its original, pre-breached condition. Here is why data integration processes are fundamental. The process is quite complicated, but data can be recovered with the right technology to its original state.
3. Data masking
This is an exciting technology used to ensure data security. Data masking is also referred to as data obfuscation, and this process involves hiding the original information in the data with codes data and other random characters. This is an ideal data security technique for situations where you’re looking to secure classified information that you don’t want anybody to read or even be able to access. This way, you are sure that you’re the only one who understands the data’s details and no one else, especially a hacker or an unauthorized user.
4. Row level security
Another way to protect confidential or sensitive data is to restrict access to the data to certain users. Power BI allows you to add restrictive filters to your dashboards, reports and data sets, through Row Level Security. This way, different users in a company will only have access and will be able to manage those data that they are responsible for and that it makes sense for them to see. This technique is especially relevant when working with a data warehouse or in business intelligence.
5. Promote transparency and compliance
Many organizations have adopted and are complying with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), which is the European Union’s standard to handle customer data. With GDPR, the customer has the power in their hands, enabling them to control the storage and management of their data. It’s a detailed and thorough mandate for organizations worldwide to handle data of European citizens.
Companies complying with GDPR use their compliance as leverage by promoting their collection, usage, and consumer data storage. This shows the seriousness of the organization and its commitment to protecting the personal information of consumers.
6. Cyber insurance
It is estimated that the average data breach cost increased by 6.4% over 2018, reaching an average of $3.86 million. The high cost of a security breach is why many businesses now invest in cyber risk insurance. Businesses like this have to get policies covering common reimbursable expenses. These expenses could include forensic examination for data breach review, regulatory fines, legal expenses, management costs, and monetary loss from interruption to business. You can only be hopeful you won’t face all of these, but there’s nothing certain with cybercrime.
7. Work with experts in data
It might be challenging to decide which data security technique and technologies to use or the best one for your organization. There are numerous strategies and technologies that you can implement. Regulations like GDPR only increase the expectations of customers, so you can make changes with consumer data. This is why you should work with an expert in data with the required know-how and insights into the changes you need to safeguard your information.
Bismart, as one of the preferred partner Power BI companies, has the recognition of Microsoft as a trustworthy company when working with Big Data.
In conclusion, there is an endless list of options for customers to choose from in the market, so you can’t get more than one chance with these customers. By showing that you can handle and secure their data expertly, you can win over their loyalty.
Exclusively written for bismart.com. Prepared by Michael Gorman | Michael Gorman is a highly skilled freelance writer and proofreader from the UK who currently works as an essay writer online. Being interested in everyday development, he writes various blog posts and discovers new aspects of human existence every day.
