Protect Your Companies DNA
Just like your body needs DNA to regenerate your cells, Data is needed in your company to regenerate business. There are many types of data a business produces, big and small data. Both of which are essential to the growth and maintenance of a company. Small data such as scripts and codes are equally as important as big data. Companies tend to be very messy, even those that seem to be well organized and efficient has its downfalls. Unorganized employees, human error, and the occasional poor judgment on certain things can alter your business in an instant. Situations like accidentally erasing configuration settings, operating scripts, data storage devices can cause mayhem within your business structure. The unpredictability of employee interactions has unintentional or undesirable effects. Just like people blend their DNA when creating life, companies also mix their data to optimize their business. By doing this companies are better able to predict human behavior and mold their business to attract more clientele. This can come with its fair share of side effects that need to be monitored.
When data is transmitted from place to place it is briefly exposed. We cannot keep data within one company at all times in order to protect it because it will not add any value to your business if it is not shared. Data is just as vulnerable when in storage as it is while in transit. So, when making sure data is save from corruption we need to focus on a few key elements: Data at rest in storage, Data accessed by a device, data in transit to different locations, and data when it reaches a destination.
Authentication is key in data management. Companies need to make sure people are who they say they are and have the access necessary for the resources they need. Access control is a major factor when it comes to protecting data. Another key factor in data protection is encryption, you can’t get enough of it. Firewalls and VPN systems can also add significant value to your data. Information can sometimes be malignant and fallible, unfortunately people can rarely see the difference. Since they are easily fooled, this can be a problem when protecting data. This is why when receiving data, you need to ask yourself, who is it from, is it safe to open, is there a chain of custody or an audit trail? At the end of the day, there are a multitude of ways a businesses data can be erased or corrupted, this is why an important part of keeping data safe is by backing it up. There are many different ways to save data and keep information viable. A major dilemma in data storage is just how often should you be backing up your companies’ information. Many questions and concerns came come with backing up data, but as tedious as it sounds, its important to make sure you have a plan B for a rainy day.
