Data security is the fusion of procedures, policies and technologies that guard data from unauthorised access or manipulation. Secure data security also safeguards important information and ensures it is properly removed after the organization no longer requires it. It also assists organizations in meeting legal and compliance requirements, including data protection regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA and PCI DSS and avoids costly lawsuits, settlements and reputational damage caused by accidental or malicious activities such as errors made by more employees and ransomware attacks.
Authentication is the process of identifying a person prior to the time they are able to access or alter any information. This usually means using passwords or PIN numbers, swipe cards, biometrics and other methods to confirm identities before giving access to data. It is also necessary to keep logs of all user activity and creating controls to limit who is able to view and/or share data, as well as to look out for suspicious or unusual activities that could be indicators of an attack.
Data classification allows companies to categorize and prioritize information based on its sensitivity. It is essential to identify the types of information you gather and only utilize what is essential to your business operations and goals. It is also crucial to have a strategy in place to retrieve data in the event that there an issue with your system, a natural disaster or data breach. This typically involves storing complete backups, including differential and increments of vital data in places physically separate from your original storage device and networking.