5/4/2020 What is Data Security?

Technologies, Standards Defined | Forcepoint

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What is Data Security?

Data Security De fined, Explained, and Explored

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Data Security De fined

Data security is a set of standards and technologies that protect data from intentional or

accidental destruction, modi fication or disclosure. Data security can be applied using a range
of techniques and technologies, including administrative controls, physical security, logical

controls, organizational standards, and other safeguarding techniques that limit access to

unauthorized or malicious users or processes.

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Why is Data Security Important?

All businesses today deal in data to a degree. From the banking giants dealing in massive

volumes of personal and financial data to the one-man business storing the contact details of
his customers on a mobile phone, data is at play in companies both large and small.

The primary aim of data security is to protect the data that an organization collects, stores,

creates, receives or transmits. Compliance is also a major consideration. It doesn't matter

which device, technology or process is used to manage, store or collect data, it must be

protected. Data breaches can result in litigation cases and huge fines, not to mention damage
to an organization's reputation. The importance of shielding data from security threats is more

important today than it has ever been.

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Di fferent Data Security Technologies

Data security technology comes in many shapes and forms and protects data from a growing

number of threats. Many of these threats are from external sources, but organizations should

also focus their e fforts on safeguarding their data from the inside, too. Ways of securing data
include:

Data encryption: Data encryption applies a code to every individual piece of data and will

not grant access to encrypted data without an authorized key being given

Data masking: Masking speci fic areas of data can protect it from disclosure to external
malicious sources, and also internal personnel who could potentially use the data. For

example, the first 12 digits of a credit card number may be masked within a database.

Data erasure: There are times when data that is no longer active or used needs to be

erased from all systems. For example, if a customer has requested for their name to be

removed from a mailing list, the details should be deleted permanently.

Data resilience: By creating backup copies of data, organizations can recover data should

it be erased or corrupted accidentally or stolen during a data breach.

Data Security Compliance and Standards

When an organization collects any kind of personal data, it instantly becomes known as a data

processor. This label comes with a lot of responsibility. For this reason, there are a number of

compliance regulations that govern organizations dealing in personal data regardless of the

type or volume. The regulations that a ffect your organization will depend on a selection of
factors, such as the industry you are operating in and the type of data you store. For example,

if you store data relating to citizens in the European Union (EU) you will need to comply with

the latest GDPR regulations. Failure to comply with any regulations that a ffect your
organization could result in hefty fines.

Other regulatory compliance and standards examples include:

NERC - Critical Infrastructure Protection

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China's Personal Information Security Speci fication

PCI Security Standards

Regulatory compliance requirements often vary by data type. A few common examples

include:

Personally Identi fiable Information (PII)

Protected Healthcare Information (PHI, HIPAA)

Credit card information

The First Steps to a Solid Data Security Strategy

It is entirely possible to enforce a solid data security strategy that protects your most

vulnerable data without restricting employees or a ffecting productivity. Forcepoint's Data

Loss Prevention (DLP) solution helps you to identify the data, identify your riskiest users in

seconds and share data with third parties with con fidence. Whether you need to comply with
GDPR regulations or PHI/HIPAA legislation, DLP has the built-in expertise to prepare and

protect your business where it counts.

Related

Balancing Data Protection and Privacy for E ffectively Evaluating Security Risk

Best-of bleed: When Combining the ‘Best’ Tech Damages Security

2018 Radicati Group Market Quadrant Reports Kit

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