Business information is increasingly under threat, so data security has become an important area of concern. However, there is a myth that an increase in the level of protection results in slower operation and reduced efficiency. In fact, adequate data protection is possible without slowing down the speed of the business processes. With the help of today’s technologies and approaches, it is possible to reach the optimal level of protection and operation speed.
Why is Data Protection Important?
Data protection is an essential factor that should not be overlooked when it comes to the issue of analytics systems. In the current business world, organizations deal with a lot of information daily, which must be protected to ensure that the organization can continue running smoothly. If improperly protected, such information can be easily targeted by hackers, trigger non-compliance issues, and lead to the collapse of an organization’s reputation.
- Reduces Interruptions and Breaches: A well-protected data ensures that analytics disruptions are kept to a minimum or entirely ruled out due to potential breaches.
- Protects Business Information: This means that business information is safeguarded from internal and external threats so that only those who are supposed to have access to sensitive information do get access to it.
- Meets Regulatory Requirements: There are regulations, including the GDPR, the HIPAA, and the CCPA, which organizations need to protect and most of the time specify their data or face the consequences.
- Protects Operating Speed: Security measures are put in place to work invisibly and not slow down operations while at the same time providing protection against threats.
- Enhances the Credibility of Business: It makes clients and other stakeholders comfortable to deal with businesses that embrace data protection measures while at the same time improving performance.
Top Data Protection Tips That Will Not Slow You Down
These strategies are aimed at enhancing security while not compromising on speed.
Organize and Classify Data for Efficient Protection
Dividing the data into low, medium, and high risk allows you to apply protection where it is needed most. It not only makes it easier to protect information but also improves the usage of storage and processing facilities. Data lineage further enhances this by providing a way of tracking how data flows and changes within the infrastructure to be protected at all times.
An effective classification scheme assists in making compliance more efficient, minimizing duplication, and expediting decision-making because it identifies how various forms of data should be processed. In this case, it is about protecting only what requires protection and not adding overhead to the system.
Accelerate Safety with Data Masking
Data masking replaces the actual data with similar data that is not original and is suitable for use in test and development settings. Masking also does not involve more steps to get to the information when it needs to be used internally; therefore, it has less performance impact. The integration of SD-WAN security takes the protection a notch higher during data transfer, making it easier to access wide-area networks. It enables you to ensure the security of your analytics pipelines without overwhelming the developers or analysts.
Real-time Access Logging and Monitoring
Monitoring tools of the new generation are less invasive and are much faster and more practical than previous generations of these tools. This is useful because it informs the user of possible threats, such as access from unrecognized devices or login at inconvenient times, without affecting the system.
Policy-based access control gives permissions in real-time, depending on the role that someone is assigned, the location in the system, and the level of risk involved. This makes it dynamic and more secure compared to the static roles that may not be efficient in fast-paced organizations.
Secure Efficiently at Every Stage of Data’s Life Cycle
AES-256 and quantum-ready protocols guarantee the security of the stored and transmitted data and do not compromise usability. Hardware-assisted encryption schemes do not consume many CPU resources. Therefore, the encrypted data can be processed faster, even during the analytical processing. Whether it is protecting a patient’s file or a financial record, today’s encryption methods are virtually impenetrable and do not hinder the speed of a computer system.
Stay Proactive with Regular Updates and Audits
Vulnerability scans regularly, penetration testing, and updating systems allow the closure of such loopholes before being capitalized on, and without interrupting business operations. Patching is an automated process, and maintenance windows are used to achieve the highest availability while keeping the environment secure. In this case, DPIAs can be easily incorporated into business processes without causing any interruption to the regular business processes.
Minimize Data, Maximize Efficiency
Store only the necessary data: having as many people as possible use only the required data is better. This makes it hard for the attacker to get into the network and eases the work of managing the security. Organizational data is lean, and storage is cheap, affordable, and flexible, so the human element can work more efficiently, increasing productivity without compromising compliance and governance. This way, the load on your systems and security personnel is minimized as much as possible.
Strengthen Access Control with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA ensures that one’s systems are safeguarded against credential and phishing attacks while not hindering access to those that are legitimate. Some common types of logins include biometric, app-based verification, or even some types of keys, making the login process fast and safe. MFA is particularly effective when used in high-risk systems since the cost of a breach would be much higher than the minute amount of time required.
Backup Data Securely
Backups should be made frequently and securely so that data can be restored in the case of an attack or failure of the hardware, etc. It is advised to store encrypted backups in other areas or systems so that they cannot be affected by the primary storage system. This helps to reduce time spent on data loss and also prevents loss of data that is critical for business operations.
It is important to note that data protection does not have to hinder the business. By classifying data, monitoring its usage, and choosing the right encryption methods, it is possible to achieve high system performance and security at the same time. The current security solutions in the market are characterized by speed, malleability, and expansibility so that your business stays nimble. This means that having a perfect data protection strategy while having a good analytics strategy is possible.
