Written by Michael Feder
Reviewed by听Kathryn Uhles, MIS, MSP,听Dean, College of Business and IT
Data protection is crucial in today鈥檚 digital world to keep information secure. Businesses in nearly every major industry rely on data for decision-making, forecasting and analysis. Furthermore, individuals are willing to provide personal data in exchange for the convenience of seamless access to services, such as instant online payments.听
Data can be considered a virtual representation of the physical world. And just like in the real world, there are crucial things people would like to keep secure from data breaches and prying eyes. With the number of types of cybersecurity threats increasing every day, the future of data depends on the security steps society takes to safeguard it today.听
There have been plenty of high-profile data breaches in recent times. For example, in 2021, hackers stole the听, including profile photos, addresses and phone numbers. As more companies ask for private data to offer streamlined service to users, the future of security is going to be even more complicated than it is today.听
Here's a closer look at the importance of secure data management and the strategies you can adopt to keep private information away from prying eyes.听
Data protection is the regulation and encryption of information from data breaches, corruption or compromise. For most people, data security focuses on securing and safeguarding information against hackers. However, other issues 鈥 such as having your data lost or corrupted due to a storage device or database failure 鈥 are much more common.听
Three principles guide security best practices, and understanding how the principles work together helps individuals and organizations better manage and protect their sensitive information:
Data security involves both security and access to information. The challenge, therefore, is to protect information while still making it easily accessible to those who need to use it.听
Data forms the backbone of many personal and business processes. Social media and e-commerce platforms use data to tailor online experiences, and businesses depend on data to perform analyses that inform critical decisions that affect their bottom lines.听
Data protection is a broad security field, but here are three major aspects:听
Defining your security needs is the first step in adopting an effective strategy.
Data comes in different types. Some types need a significant amount of protection, and others do not.听
For example, you don鈥檛 need to hide information about the weather forecast or the location of the local library. On the other hand, you don鈥檛 want the wrong people knowing your home address, ID number or debit card PIN.听
Different types of data are considered private at an individual and institutional level. It鈥檚 impossible to list every data type you might want use encryption to protect, but here are the most common examples:
Governments also have sensitive data, such as military intelligence, that they need to protect with the highest levels of security.听
Companies have cybersecurity teams that create IT risk management policies that include security strategies. However, data security is not only for corporations. As an individual, you can also take steps to protect your personal information and ensure it鈥檚 accessible when you need it.
Here are the steps you can take to protect personal and business data:听
It鈥檚 essential to understand the systems involved in data protection. Here are the primary components of data management:听
If you want to be on the front lines of data security, you likely will need to听pursue a technology degree. For example,听a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science听will equip you with fundamental skills to assist your work in a data management career. Meanwhile,听an IT degree听offers more hands-on education in systems and tools for data management and protection.听
You don鈥檛 want to spend time and resources protecting data that isn鈥檛 sensitive. It鈥檚 essential to know what qualifies as sensitive in this context. Intellectual property, business intelligence or analysis, and personal identifiers, such as Social Security numbers or addresses, typically qualify as sensitive data.听
While it鈥檚 possible to manually classify data that needs protection, this isn鈥檛 always necessary. Data discovery and classification technologies use automated queries to find specific data, such as phone numbers or Social Security numbers. The system can then place the proper protection protocols on that information.听
Data protection includes having a clear policy on who can access what data and under what conditions. You also have to define how employees or third parties can use the data. Cybersecurity best practices should also be clear to everyone who has access to networks with sensitive data because one unsecured or malware-infected device can compromise the data on the entire network.听
In most cases, the best policy is to give employees access to the data they need to perform their duties and nothing else. There are several ways to control access. You can use keycards and other systems to limit access to the physical server room where data is stored.听
Also, you can restrict the use of hard drives or online storage to limit the ability to copy sensitive data. A well-partitioned database system can also limit digital access. Finally, you can implement termination protocols, which define the steps that the company takes to ensure employees cannot access protected data after they quit.听
Data encryption is the conversion of information into a form that prevents unauthorized access. Encrypted data appears as a nonsensical collection of words and numbers unless you have a decryption key, which converts it into a readable format. Sensitive data should always be encrypted before transmission or storage.听
Protecting against data loss is an important aspect of data management. Backups ensure the existence of several copies of your data. If one copy is destroyed or compromised, you can access another one. Efficient database and file management systems use continuous backups. This feature, also known as mirroring, ensures it鈥檚 always possible to restore your data when you lose it, even if you don鈥檛 physically save it.
Understanding the fundamentals of data security can help protect you from data theft and fraud. With this guide, we hope to have given you a general introduction to the subject.
Data security refers to the practice of safeguarding information from loss, corruption or compromise from malicious cyber hackers. Professionals are hired to help companies keep their data safe.
According to the CIA, there are three main types of data security known as the 鈥淐IA triad.鈥 These three types are confidentiality, integrity and availability. Respectively, these deal with encryption, tampering and availability, and all three pose major challenges to data security.
Data protection involves both security and access to information. The challenge, therefore, is to protect information while still making it easily accessible to those who need to use it.听
In 2018, the European Union (EU) enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While the GDPR applies primarily to EU citizens, it is considered general data privacy best practices, compliance and regulations for companies across the world and comprises eight principles of data security:
Also known as 鈥渃ontinuous backup,鈥 continuous data protection (CDP) refers to the encryption or backup of computer data in real time through a system that automatically saves a copy of data every time a change is made. CDP makes it possible to restore a system to any previous point in time after a change was made.
In 2021, Virginia passed the Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), which grants some businesses the ability to provide consumers with access to and control of the personal data businesses collect on them. Virginia is the second state to pass a consumer privacy law following California鈥檚 Consumer Privacy Act. The VCDPA will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
Interested in a career in data protection?听爱污传媒 offers degree programs听that prepare graduates for work in the field.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and its Writing Seminars program and winner of the Stephen A. Dixon Literary Prize, Michael Feder brings an eye for detail and a passion for research to every article he writes. His academic and professional background includes experience in marketing, content development, script writing and SEO. Today, he works as a multimedia specialist at 爱污传媒 where he covers a variety of topics ranging from healthcare to IT.
Currently Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology,听Kathryn Uhles has served 爱污传媒 in a variety of roles since 2006. Prior to joining 爱污传媒, Kathryn taught fifth grade to underprivileged youth in 爱污传媒.
This article has been vetted by 爱污传媒's editorial advisory committee.听
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