Data security is the combination of policies, procedures and technologies that guard information from unauthorized access or manipulation. Data security that is robust also protects important information and ensures it is properly disposed of when the organization no longer needs it. It helps companies comply with legal and compliance requirements like GDPR, CCPA and HIPAA, and protects them from costly lawsuits and reputational damage from accidental or malicious actions such as mistakes by employees and ransomware.
Authentication is the process of accurately verifying a person’s identity before they are allowed to access or alter any data. Authentication is the process of identifying people before they can access or manipulate data. It is also important to keep a log of all user activities and establish controls to limit who can access data and/or can share it, as well as to monitor and spot any unusual or suspicious activity that could indicate a breach.
Classification of data helps companies to categorize and prioritize information based on its level of sensitivity. It is crucial to determine the types of information you collect and only use what’s essential to your business operations and goals. It’s equally important to have a clearly defined strategy for ensuring that you can access and retrieve information in the event of system failure or natural disaster, or even a data breach. This typically means storing full backups, both differential and incremental of critical data in locations physically distinct from your original storage device and network.
