If your organization has poor data security, it can cause significant damage to your network. Poor data security can create vulnerabilities that lead to data breaches and sensitive data being compromised by malicious actors.
These consequences can also cause damage to the reputation of a business and create legal ramifications for organizations that operate in highly regulated industries.
Importantly, these ramifications can lead to lost customers and revenue. To avoid these consequences, it is important to understand what a reliable data strategy is and how to create one for your organization.
Coeo understands how important reliable data security is and has helped secure data for thousands of organizations to avoid data breaches and protect sensitive data from being compromised.
By the end of this article, you will understand what a data protection strategy is, the ways to create a reliable data protection strategy, and whether it is a good solution for your organization.
What is a data protection strategy?
A data protection strategy outlines measures and security practices to safeguard sensitive information to ensure its confidentiality and protect the data.
Data protection strategies ensure your data is secure while making it available to all authorized users looking to access it.
Because of this, a well-developed plan catered to your organization that secures your data should be an essential part of your security priorities.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about data protection or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
The ways to develop a reliable data protection strategy
A data protection strategy can be beneficial to any organization to help improve data security and avoid data breaches. However, it is also important to understand how to develop a reliable data protection strategy so you have the right plan for your organization.
The ways to develop a reliable data protection strategy include:
Develop the goals of the strategy
Before developing and implementing a data security strategy, it is important to understand the objectives of the strategy and the reasons you are looking to implement it.
It is also important to understand why you’re doing this, and the focus of the strategy so you can develop a strategy that addresses the most important issues.
The goal of the data protection strategy might be as simple as securing your sensitive data better or ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations required in your industry.
Whatever the case may be, it is important to understand the goals your organization is looking to accomplish by implementing the strategy.
Understand the data in your network
Another important step in developing a reliable data protection strategy is understanding the data within the network. It is important to take the time to understand the different types of data stored within the organization and categorize the data based on sensitivity levels.
Your network may contain data such as designs or plans, press releases and announcements, or more confidential data like sensitive business information and personal information about employees, customers or patients.
Typically, these types of data can be grouped into different categories with some data requiring more security than others. Understanding the different groups of data will help you figure out what categories of data need to be more secure than others.
Engage a data protection expert
If your organization does not have an IT team or has an IT team focused on other business initiatives it may be a good idea to involve a data protection expert to help create a strategy that addresses your organization’s objectives.
IT infrastructure can be difficult to understand if you do not have experienced resources in this area. To avoid creating a strategy with gaps and vulnerabilities, involving a data protection professional can help.
Review the strategy regularly and make changes
The world of IT and technology is constantly changing. Because of this, the data protection strategy your organization creates today may not be effective in a year, month, or even next week.
To safeguard against this, it is important that whoever is managing this strategy is constantly reviewing it and making changes to improve data protection.
At a minimum, it is recommended that your strategy be reviewed every year or when new laws and regulations are passed about data protection and cyber security.
This ensures that your strategy is constantly up to date so that your data is constantly protected and aligned with all legal requirements.
Is a data protection strategy a good solution for your organization?
Now you understand what a data protection strategy is and the ways to develop a reliable data protection program. However, it is also important to understand whether a data protection strategy is a good solution for your organization.
If your organization is having a difficult time securing sensitive data in your network, creating a data protection strategy may be a good decision for your organization.
If your organization has regulations on data security that result in legal consequences when they are not met, a reliable data protection strategy may be a good choice.
Additionally, if your organization does not have reliable IT expertise in-house, it may be a good idea to involve a data protection professional to help develop a data protection strategy that supports your organization’s objectives.
However, if your organization needs more in-depth security including security beyond simply securing your data, you may benefit from a security solution like SASE rather than a more focused data security strategy.
Determining whether a data protection strategy is a good solution for your organization
Now you understand what a data protection strategy is, how to develop a reliable strategy, and whether it is a good solution for your organization. This will help you determine how your organization will benefit from creating a data protection strategy.
Organizations require strong data protection. Poor data security can result in consequences that lead to data breaches and sensitive data being compromised.
This will also result in a tarnished business reputation and potential legal ramifications if industry regulations are broken because of poor data security.
An example of this is when a healthcare organization leaks patient information and breaks HIPPA compliance. To avoid these consequences, a data protection strategy is a good solution.
Coeo understands how important a reliable data security strategy is and has helped thousands of organizations secure their data to avoid data breaches and sensitive data from being compromised.
We want you to understand how to create a reliable data protection strategy so you can determine whether it would benefit your organization and improve the security of your data.
If you would like to speak with our team to learn more about data protection or ask any questions you may have you can schedule an appointment.
Now that you understand how to create a reliable data protection strategy and whether it is a good solution for your organization, check out this article to learn about hybrid data security and whether it could be beneficial for your organization:
