Online Data and Security is the layer that safeguards all of our personal data from unauthorized access. It covers everything from encryption of data to securing the computer system from cyberattacks. It’s an integral component of our modern economy and daily lives. There’s an incredible amount of data being generated and transmitted as the world economy is churning, people take to social media and life is in constant flux with technological advancements.
Data breaches are common and can cause harm to both businesses and individuals. The cost of repairing the breach is $8 million, as per an Ponemon Institute report. The cost of lost brand value and trust can be higher.
To protect data the first step is to find the data and determine its risk level. This is accomplished through the process of data discovery and classification. This involves sifting through your data repositories for sensitive information, then labeling it so that you can determine who is able to access it and the reason for this.
The third step is to stop data leakage. This is the theft or leakage sensitive information, typically due to an unsecure connection to the network. There are many available, free and easy-to-use tools on the market that can help, including password managers, VPNs, and encrypted storage solutions. It is crucial to enforce strong passwords and to require multi-factor authentication for all services.
It’s also important to ensure that you have redundancy for your data in case of natural disasters or attacks against local servers. This can be accomplished by physical replication to a remote data center cloud or using software such as Acronis Cyber Protect.