What is Data Security?

Data Security concerns the protection of data from accidental or intentional but unauthorised modification, destruction or disclosure through the use of physical security, administrative controls, logical controls, and other safeguards to limit accessibility. Ways of securing your data include:

• Data Encryption - converting the data into a code that cannot be easily read without a key that unlocks it.
• Data Masking – masking certain areas of data so personnel without the required authorisation cannot look at it.
• Data Erasure – ensuring that no longer used data is completely removed and cannot be recovered by unauthorised people.
• Data Backup – creating copies of data so it can be recovered if the original copy is lost.

General good practice, however, goes beyond these methods. Stringent processes should be put in place to cover all areas such as Password Policies.

Why is Data Security important?

The chief principle of Data Security is to offer protection to a data user’s collections or sources of data. Data Security will form a large part of the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) being released by the EU. Data Breaches will result in large fines once the new regulations are in place so it will become more important to shield against any security threats as much as possible.

How can data governance help with your Data Security?

Data Governance helps to safeguard the reputation of your organisation by ensuring the information on your customers and prospects is kept secure through the implementation of proper responsibilities, processes and appropriate technology. Poor data quality processes can result in costly implications for organisations if the data they hold is poorly kept and therefore unsecure.