Data Security – Let’s Explore
Overview
With so many businesses around the world and each one carrying millions of data in its database, it becomes a major priority for an organization to keep a check over their confidential information from time to time.
But, what basically is data security in general terms?
Going by the book, Data Security denotes the protection of digital data and undertaking privacy measures to avoid the interference of any illegal authority to snoop into an organization’s database, website or account through some unauthorized means. As simple as it is to understand, it takes a lot of time and effort to put up the walls around the data to keep it secured. There are various data security platforms that try to achieve such level of encryption to keep it safe through periodic monitoring, data accessibility, sensitive data recovery and simultaneous reporting.
Let us see how many types of data protection mechanisms are taken into action.
- Encryption of data: Implemented through hardware or software, data encryption is the most common method of protection. In this, the data is converted to some unreadable codes that can only be decrypted by the issuing authority at the other end.
- Data anonymization: Under such a process, the user removes some personally identified elements from the data in order to maintain the privacy of the owner. Data masking is one of its forms where the anonymous nature of the user is maintained through character replacement or data replacement.
- Data backup & recovery: When the times are bad and your data goes missing, data backup can help in restoring the lost data within no time. Taking regular backups like daily or weekly can help in complete restoration when required. Even some local and remote backup method is used where the backup depends on the location where the data resides. Data backup also takes the form of encrypted code when kept that way.
- Data Purging: This method is sometimes being used by organizations to completely erase the data from the database to clear the space for the data that has been labelled irrecoverable. Archives are also utilized by migrating the data to some storage space.
- Data Rooms: These are the physical storage of data in an isolated room where thousands of data are kept secured under tight supervision. These rooms have strict scan based entries with passwords.
- Self–destructing mechanism: Data in some cases get destroyed after a limited time of its use to prevent its unauthorized access from hackers.
- Firewalls: These are the hi-tech network security systems that are injected to scrutinize the network traffic and check if the guidelines are properly followed. It acts as a barrier between internal network and the external one and restricts the entry of any unauthorized person or virus
Some organizations feel that data security is a waste of time and puts more burden on their budgets. All those who think that data security is a waste of time, let’s explore why data security is crucial for a company.
- Avoids Data breaches: With the data secured, no unauthorized person gets to access it without valid password or code. It keeps the sensitive information safe from leaking out.
- Reduced cost in recovery:The data that gets lost due to fires or any other physical damage could be recovered easily without any overhead cost involved if there is a prior arranged backup. Thus the cost is hugely reduced with the implementation of this automated procedure.
- Data Integrity:With a supervised security procedure, the data is not manipulated and its integrity remains solid.
- Keeps your reputation intact: When you provide and unbridled and smooth connectivity and service to your customers, then it will definitely give you extra points. If the client’s data gets hacked by another, it breaches the reputation of the company.
Data protection is not an individual task. It is a holistic approach that has various aspects to consider before getting implemented for any software system.
- Accessibility: For a recovery procedure, data is replicated or backed-up at any location or any other hard drive or other storage units. The main purpose behind using such modes of storage is to have options to recover the last in minimum time without any damage to business proceedings. It could be replicated to offsite or local area as per the vulnerability a location faces. If it is an earthquake prone area, then it would be better if the data is stored on cloud. This gives you a quick accessibility in retaining the data. Thus, data should be recovered at such a location or on such kind of device which would be easily available at the required time.
- A security procedure of your choice: Security of data is undertaken for various reasons and at various locations. But, the security mechanisms that are to be incorporated on your data should be the one that you are expert in or suits your requirements. Many defence-related organizations are used to communicate or transfer their data in cryptic messages. It is sometimes advisable to choose the latest available software or mechanism that could not be easily decoded by the hackers of the online market. Even encryption of data takes several forms when sending the data across fibre channels, SAN or iSCSI. Refreshed cryptic methods are always coming in to keep the enterprise’s oyards away from the danger.
- Alert systems: It is still not a prevalent phenomenon in many industries since most of the IT desk staff could not be supported by the company. But, with an efficient alert system you can manage the critical issues through an easy way. When alerted beforehand or even quickly at the time of crisis, the recovery procedure could be started up instantly.
- Check out all the dependencies to maintain integrity: It is very crucial in an organization to understand the type of devices that are to be used in a network for a system and make them identifiable with maps and status icons to maintain the integrity of data. Some applications verify the data by themselves to keep the data intact.
Conclusion
Data security is one of the main concern in the data driven world. In today’s business, data is the key to success. So, each and every organization is trying to protect their most valuable asset, which is DATA. In this article we have tried to explore the ways to protect data. Hope this will help you to understand data security and its importance.
