Data security is a necessity in today’s business.
From protecting your reputation to compliance regulations, both the public and private sectors must use data security solutions to protect their systems and data from malicious actors.
Effective data security begins with identifying the right combination of tools that work together to protect your data from as many threat actors as possible.
To get you started, here are some data security solutions and their importance.
1. Data Discovery and Classification
The first step of any data security initiative is identifying the type and sensitivity of data an organization has.
Data discovery and classification systems scan your data repositories for the data you possess, classifying it based on its sensitivity and value to the organization.
Importance of Data Discovery Solutions
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Data discovery and classification solutions help businesses identify the sensitive data they contain and the regulatory requirements for handling that data. With such information, they can develop the right compliance plan to meet these compliance requirements.
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Data discovery and classification solutions help businesses determine the best security strategies to develop for each type of data, based on its sensitivity and vulnerability to malicious actors.
2. Access Control
Not all data can and should be accessed by every person in the organization.
Access control data security solutions help organizations set up authentication and authorization measures to ensure that only the right people can access certain corporate data.
Access control solutions identify users based on their login credentials such as passwords, biometrics, and security tokens.
These tools also come with multi factor authentication to provide an additional layer of access control.
Businesses can adopt one or more of four access control models:
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Discretionary access control
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Mandatory access control
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Role-based access control
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Attribute-based access control.
Importance of Access Control
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Access control allows organizations to keep confidential information from landing in the wrong hands
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A robust access control solution prevents internal and external data leakages
- Access control in organizations using cloud infrastructure helps them enforce access security for on-premises and cloud environments .
READ MORE: Cloud Data Protection: How To Secure Your Confidential Data
3. Data Encryption
Data encryption is one of the best data security solutions. It converts data into code, which only a person with the right decryption key can read.
For example, a password-protected document is useless to anyone without the right password.
The goal of data encryption is to preserve the confidentiality of information transmitted via computer systems or the internet.
Importance of Data Encryption
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Data encryption provides an extra layer of security by keeping data confidential, even if a malicious actor intercepts it.
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When used as a component of email security, it prevents malicious actors from intercepting business communication by facilitating the secure transfer of files.
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Through data encryption businesses can protect themselves from ransomware blackmail as the malicious actors have no way of using that information.
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Encryption protects lost or stolen devices .
4. Antivirus
Antivirus is one of the well-known data security solutions.
Antivirus software protects your computer system from malicious programs that enter a computer system.
When not detected these computer viruses replicate and spread across the system, causing performance problems and affecting the files in a computer device.
Importance of Antivirus
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Antivirus protects computers from viruses by detecting and removing them.
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Antivirus software blocks spam and ads, which are some of the common ways used to spread these viruses into a user's computer system.
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Antivirus software offers protection from hackers and other malicious actors.
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Antivirus software protects your system from viruses found in removable devices such as USBs.
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Installing antivirus software protects the files and data in your device from being damaged or stolen.
5. Firewall
Firewalls are another data security tool used to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic from your computer systems.
Firewalls are coupled with antivirus software to provide robust security to your computer system.
Importance of Firewall
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It monitors network traffic and applies pre-established rules and filters to keep out traffic that does not fit the accepted criteria.
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Firewalls protect businesses from hacking by preventing unauthorized access to your computer systems.
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Firewalls are capable of blocking malicious software such as spyware, thus preventing criminals from infiltrating your business systems.
6. Backup and Recovery
Data security solutions are never complete without a backup and recovery solution in place.
Most solutions focus on preventing malicious actors from gaining access to business data.
However, businesses are also at risk of losing their data due to technical issues, human errors, or even natural disasters.
Having a backup and recovery solution in place ensures that your business can continue its operations smoothly even after losing certain data.
Backup and recovery solutions work by storing multiple copies of business data in and outside the business premises or networks.
Importance of Backup and Recovery
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Data backup and recovery provide additional security for a business.
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Data backup allows for the easy resumption of business operation in case data is lost.
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Data backup provides for accurate replication of business data, thus, businesses can access the exact information they had before a copy of it was stolen or damaged.
Importance of Data Security as a Service (DSaaS)
Data security is a resource-intensive activity. You need the right team, expertise, and tools to implement different data security solutions.
However, by working with a data security solutions provider, you save on the costs of hiring the right experts and purchasing all the tools needed for implementing and maintaining data security standards within your organization.
Data security solutions providers also have the knowledge and expertise in implementing various security applications to keep your business data and communication secure, online and offline.
Through their expertise, your business can mitigate the risks of non-compliance and the threats of cyber attacks on your business.
Working with a DSaaS provider like Sealit provides your organization with access to a simple, portable, and scalable cloud-based service that lets you monitor your security and compliance strengths and weaknesses.
Key Takeaways
Data security is essential in meeting today’s growing compliance demands.
Implementing data security solutions not only requires expertise, but it also requires regular monitoring to ensure that the tools you use are working as expected.
The process of implementing and monitoring data security solutions can be overwhelming for most businesses, leading them to Data Security as a Service provider who takes the burden of their business.
Talk to Sealit’s data security team to get your business started with the right data security solutions.