8 Reasons to Update Your Approach to Data Security
There are many reasons to revamp your approach to data security, including recognizing that perimeter security is not the same as data security.
The moat you’ve built around your network is your primary defense against hackers. But when you talk about securing data, the conversation should include where your data resides, not just the perimeter.
Protect stored data from breach or loss with automated audit processes that help answer critical questions about where sensitive information is, data-change rates, usage patterns and more.
High-profile data breaches describe security risks in lost dollars and exposed records, but failing to update your approach to data security can cost your reputation and intellectual property, which are hard to quantify.
When a big-name company falls into the data-breach spotlight, ask whether yours would be safe in their scenario. Your boss will probably want to know what you would do under similar circumstances. If you’re not ready to answer, you’re unprepared for today’s data security realities.
Would anyone want your data? Yes. Just as many small and midsize businesses fall victim to data loss, theft or ransom as Fortune 500 companies.
Consider the types of industries that have suffered data loss in recent memory: health care, retail, education, entertainment, finance, insurance, government. It’s hard to find an industry that is not vulnerable.
Do you know whether sensitive data or personally identifiable information are in your system? If you lack insight into the value and danger lying in your unstructured data, take rapid steps towards getting a 360-degree view of what you’re storing.
If one team handles data storage and another security, you can’t prepare for breaches that cross your perimeter, or start internally. Security must be everyone’s job. That means collaboration between departments and implementing technology that seamlessly integrates disparate data tasks.