Data security is the combination of policies, procedures, and technologies that safeguard data from unauthorised access or manipulation. Robust data security also safeguards important information and ensures it is disposed of properly when the business does not require it anymore. It also assists organizations in meeting legal and regulatory requirements, including data protection regulations like GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA and PCI DSS and avoids costly lawsuits, settlements, and reputational damage due to malicious or unintentional actions such as errors made by employees and ransomware attacks.
Authentication refers to the method of identifying people accurately before they are able to access or alter data. This typically includes using passwords and PIN numbers, as well as swipe cards, biometrics and other methods to confirm identities before giving access. It is also important to keep a log of all user actions and to establish controls to restrict the access to data and/or who can share it, in addition to monitoring and identify any suspicious or unusual activity that could indicate the possibility of a breach.
The classification of data helps organizations to prioritize and organize information in accordance with its importance. It is crucial to determine the types of information you collect and only use what’s essential to your business’s needs and goals. It is also important to have a strategy in place to recover data in the event of an issue with my digital business blog your system, a natural disaster or data breach. This usually includes having complete backups, including incremental, differential and full of your most important data in places that are physically separated from the original storage device and network.