As business owners and CEOs, you are responsible for ensuring that your organization takes the necessary steps to protect sensitive data. Data is essential to any business but must be safeguarded to prevent inappropriate access, use, or disclosure. From trying to utilize Keyfactor PKI to implementing data encryption and access control policies, there are several strategies that your company can take for protecting data security and privacy.
Table of Contents
1. Implement Data Encryption
Data encryption is one of the most effective ways to keep data secure and private. It ensures that sensitive data is encoded or scrambled so that only authorized personnel can access it, making it difficult for hackers to gain access. By using encryption, companies can protect data in transit and at rest.
Encryption can have various functions with different levels of complexity. For example, companies can opt for end-to-end encryption, which scrambles data at the source and then again when it reaches its destination. Encryption ensures that even if someone intercepts the data in transit, they won’t be able to read it.
2. Establish Access Control Policies
Establishing and enforcing access control policies is another critical step to ensure data security. Solid access control involves setting clear rules about who can access specific data and what they can do. It also requires tracking who has accessed the data, when, and for what purpose.
When creating an access control policy, it’s essential to consider the sensitivity of the data and who needs to access it. For example, customer financial information should only be accessible to a limited number of employees and only for valid business reasons.
3. Use Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tools
Data loss prevention (DLP) tools help companies prevent sensitive data from being stolen or misplaced. These tools monitor for unusual activity, scan for data at risk of being leaked, and alert users if suspicious activity is detected. They can also identify any unauthorized changes to sensitive files and help prevent data loss incidents.
DLP tools are also helpful for complying with data privacy regulations, such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). GDPR is designed to protect the individual rights of consumers and put control over their data back in their hands. DLP tools can help businesses automate GDPR processes, such as collecting user consent for processing data.
4. Integrate Microsoft Purview and Keyfactor MDM
Microsoft Purview and Keyfactor MDM are popular data security and privacy solutions that can be integrated into your company’s existing systems. They allow organizations to quickly detect suspicious activity, analyze it in real time, and take appropriate action. These tools also provide visibility into where data is located and how it’s being used.
Using this pairing to monitor, analyze, and secure your data, you can ensure it remains private and secure. This helps to protect your company’s reputation and maintain trust with customers.
5. Train Employees on Data Security and Privacy
Even if you have all the best security tools and policies in place, it won’t make a difference unless employees know how to use them properly. That’s important to train your staff on data security and privacy.
Educating employees about data protection best practices can help reduce the risk of human error, such as accidentally sending sensitive information to the wrong person or forgetting to log out of a shared computer. Additionally, training staff on data privacy regulations will ensure that they are aware of the laws and regulations that govern data protection.
Final Thoughts
By following these best practices, your company can ensure that its data is secure and private while also meeting current compliance requirements. This will help protect your business from potential data breaches and other cyber attacks. With the right tools and training in place, you can rest assured that your data is safe and secure.
