Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss.
Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss. As the amount of data created and stored continues to grow at unprecedented rates, the importance of data protection increases. Furthermore, there is little tolerance for downtime when accessing important information.
A large part of a data protection strategy is ensuring that data can be restored quickly after any corruption or loss. Protecting data from compromise and ensuring data privacy are other key components of data protection.
Data classification is as fundamental a part of securing data as knowing what data you have and who can access it. It is the process of identifying and assigning pre-determined levels of sensitivity to different types of data.
A proper data classification regime allows data owners to apply or require appropriate controls based on a predetermined category data. This is especially important from a financial part of business, since different security controls often comes with a different cost. It is rare to have the same kinds of controls for all kinds of data. If the data owner doesn’t properly classify the dataset, then one cannot properly protect the data.
For data to be protected throughout the entire value chain requires that security mechanisms ensure that data is protected when data is stored, when data is in transit, and when data is set for destruction. Holistic safeguard of data and the availability of data in all circumstances is the key principle of data protection. Thus, as in general information security, the best security is the one that comes in several layers and levels, so-called Defense In Depth.
Data owners and data users expect full availability of data from any geographical location at any time in order to conduct business even if the data is damaged or lost.
Data management covers two key areas in terms of data protection. The two areas are:
This is mainly the process of automating the transportation of data to online and offline storage, regardless of its data classification.
This is mainly a comprehensive strategy for valuing, cataloging and protecting data from application and user errors, malware and virus attacks, machine failure or facility outages and disruptions.
In business one is used to the mindset of safe working practices. This same mindset should apply for your data, and by enforcing security when it comes to handling data, sensitive or other, whether the data is at rest or transit. Data is the backbone that makes up many customer-focused businesses, and protecting it should never be an afterthought.
Are you looking for a company that can provide data protection for your business? Contact us today to find out how we can keep your data safe from day one.
Sean Armana
Security Expert, TietoEVRY