In the digital age where data is growing exponentially and becoming the new oil – safeguarding sensitive data has become more crucial than ever. The practice of data protection involves guidelines and procedures that are designed to prevent data loss or corruption by ensuring the security and integrity of data.
The fundamental principles of data security are:
1. Data availability – Ensuring that data is always available to users, regardless of whether they are stored online or off. This involves accessing, storing and managing data according its context and sensitivity so that it is always available for reporting, analysis, development and testing.
2. Data management – ensuring that data is managed to meet business and regulatory requirements. This includes preventing unauthorised access to data through the implementation of policies, such as role-based access control and encryption, which ensures that only authorized persons are able to access data. It also involves limiting access to data through tools like the classification of documents, usage logs and other tools that allow organizations to track who accesses which files and when.
3. Data privacy – Ensuring that personal data are processed in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner, and ensuring individuals are informed in a clear manner about the use of their personal data. It also requires the processing and collection of personal information to that which is strictly necessary for its intended purpose.
The management of data security can be a daunting task however it can be simplified and efficient using the right system. To create an effective system of organization, it’s essential to establish specific goals, such as compliance with GDPR or personal data security. From there, a system can be planned and implemented using software tools that simplify the process.
