The Three Pillars of Data Security

Data security is the protection of organizational data and systems against the unauthorized access, modification, and use. This helps prevent data breaches that could lead to business disruption and financial losses or compliance penalties, as well reputational damage. Modern methods of protecting data consist of a combination of technologies, tools and best practices that focus on the three pillars of data protection which are: Confidentiality (preventing information from being exposed or read without authorization) and Integrity (ensuring that the information is correct and is not altered) and Availability (ensuring that data is available whenever it is needed).

The first step to ensuring data security is to create and maintaining an inventory and mapping of your data sets. This involves cataloguing all data stored in your data centers, network-attached storage, mobile devices, desktops, third-party cloud services and software applications. It is important to think about physical storage such as USB read this article sticks and external hard drives, as well as old documents and printed files. These are often neglected, but can contain a wealth of confidential data. Cybercriminals will take advantage of this.

Once you’ve gained insight into your data sets The next step is to categorize the sensitive data so that you are able to better understand how and where it exists within your system. This allows you to prioritize security efforts, making sure that only the most vital data is secured and that information that is not as critical is readily accessible. It also lets you comply with industry and regulatory standards, like those applicable to health care, finance and telecommunications.