Data security is a pressing concern in today's digital landscape, and with good reason. The ever-growing number of successful data breaches can be attributed to the expanding attack surfaces resulting from complex IT environments, the widespread use of cloud services, and the increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by cybercriminals.
A constant theme throughout this narrative is that the majority of security breaches can be avoided. While each organization faces unique security challenges and objectives, there are certain errors that many companies make when addressing data security. What's even more concerning is that these mistakes are often seen as normal, camouflaged within common practices.
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Five Common Data Secuirty Pitfalls
When it comes to data security, there are several common pitfalls that organizations should be aware of in order to protect their sensitive information effectively. Here are five of the most common data security pitfalls to avoid:
1. Failure to Move Beyond Compliance
While compliance is an important aspect of data security, it is crucial to recognize that it does not guarantee complete protection. Unfortunately, many organizations tend to focus solely on achieving compliance, leading to a false sense of security. This complacency can be detrimental, as it often results in major data breaches occurring in supposedly compliant organizations. Simply put, being compliant on paper does not equate to being secure in practice.
2. Failure to Recognize the Need for Centralized Data Security
Compliance can help raise awareness of the need for data security, but without broader mandates that cover data privacy and security, organizations often forget to move past compliance and a focus on consistent, enterprise-wide data security. A typical organization today has a hybrid multicloud environment, which is constantly changing and growing. New types of data stores can appear weekly, if not daily, and greatly disperse sensitive data.
3. Failure to Assign Responsibility for the Data
Even with an understanding of the importance of data security, numerous companies fail to assign a specific individual responsible for safeguarding sensitive data. This lack of accountability becomes glaringly evident during data security or audit incidents when organizations are placed under immense pressure to identify the person ultimately responsible.
4. Failure to Address Known Vulnerabilities
Frequently, prominent companies experience devastating breaches due to neglecting to address known vulnerabilities, even when patches have been released. This failure to promptly patch these vulnerabilities exposes your organization's data to significant risks, as cybercriminals actively exploit these easily accessible points of entry.
According to a recent IDC research report, organizations struggle to manage data security in multi-cloud and hybrid environments. According to a recent survey, over 37% of respondents found the growing complexity of security solutions to be a major challenge, hindering data governance and policy enforcement efforts.
5. Failure to Prioritize and Leverage Data Activity Monitoring
Ensuring proper monitoring of data access and usage is a crucial component of an effective data security strategy. It is imperative for organizations to have a comprehensive understanding of who, how, and when individuals are accessing sensitive information. This monitoring process should encompass evaluating whether these individuals have the necessary permissions, if their access levels are accurate, and if there is any potential heightened risk to the enterprise.
Taking Steps to Close Data Security Pitfalls
Securing sensitive data in today's ever-evolving threat landscape is no easy feat, but companies have the power to prioritize their data protection strategy by allocating the necessary resources.
When starting on a data security journey, you need to size and scope your monitoring efforts to properly address the requirements and risks. This activity often involves adopting a phased approach that enables development and scaling best practices across your enterprise. Moreover, it’s critical to have conversations with key business and IT stakeholders early in the process to understand short-term and long-term business objectives.
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