Data Security
The internet is present everywhere and it has become the soul of our existence nowadays. It has digitized our existence and has invaded all aspects of our personal and work life so much that it is impossible to think of a day being spent without it. It has revolutionized the way businesses are being conducted and the set of data transferred to and for on the internet is valuable for the enterprises and also the cybercriminals. While it is true that users in the businesses have to invariably share their data as a part of their services and for better customer experience, this sensitive data is being targeted by malicious individuals with the intent of cyber theft and scams. Hence, it is pertinent that both the enterprises and their work staff or the individual entrepreneurs understand and follow some crucial practices that can help them to secure the confidential data on the cloud network. The periphery of data security is an underlying factor for enterprise security given the advent of internet and cloud technology as well as the recent spate of cyber attacks burgeoning in the networks.
Important Aspects Covering the Periphery of Data Security
- Password Security and Management: Weak passwords are an open invite to the cybercriminals and even after having this knowledge, users still continue to do away with them like the birthdates and names with a special character and number inserted at the beginning of the end. While it is advisable that the users use at least 16 character length passwords with special characters, upper cases, and numbers are thrown in between, it becomes a tedious task of remembering those passwords for so many varied apps and services. The best option is to use the password manager, wherein, complex passwords can be stored in a program with a single password. This way, users will need to remember only the password manager’s login credentials and then they will have access to all their passwords and usernames of different apps and accounts.
- Sensitive Data Restriction: Most of the enterprises have taken a proactive approach to data security and this is due to the spate of cyber attacks and the imposition of stricter data protection legislation like the GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. This means that enterprises need to maintain greater transparency of the sensitive data and should have a clear knowledge of where their data is stored, used, accessed, and moved on the network. The Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution helps the admin to scan the entire network for confidential data and gives them control to block the transfer of data whenever required.
- Two-factor Authentication: Two-factor authentication helps to secure the data by adding an extra layer of security on top of traditional passwords. Most of the internet services and email providers offer this format of authentication so that the data on the net gets transferred securely. In this technique, whenever a user logs in from a new device, a code is generated and sent to the device that only the user has physical access to like a mobile through an SMS or email. Online banking services have made it a mandatory feature as it forms an important aspect of financial transactions. Even though the users may find this form of authentication troublesome, but at the positive side, this helps in negating the risks of cyber attacks like phishing attacks, wherein, the user is otherwise lured into revealing their usernames and passwords. But with the two-factor authentication, malicious individuals will not be able to access the user account without the physical token.
- Remote Location and Data Deletion: With the concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), invading the workplaces for flexibility reasons, securing data has become more important and necessary. The mobile devices or the personal laptops can hold all sorts of confidential data of the enterprises from emails to contact lists and if misplaced or misused, poses a significant threat. Here, the concept of remote location and device wiping come into the picture. The remote location helps enterprises to track the devices and allows wiping the sensitive information from them thus ensuring that the data doesn’t fall into wrong hands.
These are some of the basic steps in the edge of data security that have to be implemented by the enterprises so that their data can be safe and secure. The best CASB solutions along with raised awareness for the periphery of data security can go a long way in safeguarding the interests of the enterprises. Deployment of efficient CASB solutions can help enterprises to keep a check on data getting into the wrong hands.