This article serves as a guide prepared by our technical teams to gives insight into the data security guidance for companies and its best practices in 2021.
Importance of Data Security
Data security is a vital component of the security management systems of any company. Company data lumps contain essential information that companies hold dear. These data range from employee details to transaction details to client details.
Companies must keep their sensitive data securely, especially customer credentials, lest they risk losing these clients in the event of data breaches. Thus, companies invest heavily in data security to protect them from anomalies like hacking, data loss, and data breaches.
Top Data Security Solutions For 2021
Data security practices vary from time to time, requiring improvement, updating, and even complete overhaul of systems from quarter to quarter and from year to year. Securing company data in 2021 involves the marrying of traditional with emerging data security practices.
Data security solutions are the various practices and strategies used by companies to protect company data in 2021.
Here are some of these solutions;
· Creating a firewall
A firewall eradicates the possibility of systems manipulation by separating one network from another. A firewall also blocks unauthorized access to networks. Thus, hackers get minimal or no access to the company’s network.
· Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
This solution monitors the network and systems to ensure that sensitive company data is not removed, deleted, copied, or moved. DLP monitors the contents of the information sent or received through the digital communication channels such that malicious ransomware is removed as soon as detected.
· Data Encryption
Data encryption put layers of encrypted codes and protocols in the systems. Thus, stolen data becomes inaccessible to hackers. Encryption protects both data at rest and data in transit.
Simple encryption protocols like Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) ensures that a third party does not intercept information shared between a company and an end-user. Thus, vital customer information such as credit card details, passwords, social security numbers are not intercepted by hackers and used to commit cyberattacks.
· Data Backup and Recovery Solutions
Data backup is a security protocol that ensures companies have access to lost data. Data loss happens due to many reasons. For instance, a cyber-attack by hackers may steal and delete the company’s data. Ransomware is another common cause of data loss. Data backup remains a top method of data loss prevention in 2021.
· Antivirus
Antivirus needs no introduction since it is a standard tool used by most users. Antivirus software scans systems and networks to detect the presence of malignant. This software has inbuilt protocols that attack the detected ransomware and trojans, which could steal your sensitive data.
· Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
SIEM software provides the real-time monitoring of the security logs and alerts on applications, servers, and network devices. SIEM uses the globally gathered intelligence to search networks and systems to reveal advanced threats posed to the system. Thus, SIEM is one of the top data security solutions for 2021, as it gives an overall analysis of a company’s IT environment.
Our technical team use the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) software part of our Managed Detection and Response (MDR) solution to get insight and track record of real activities happening in an IT environment.
· Access Control
Employees and users should only be allowed to access data locally. For instance, employees and users shouldn’t store sensitive data on portable devices since these are party to hacking. Hackers need such bottom tier systems, corrupt them with malware and use this minimal access to gain further access into the entire system, server, or network.
Companies should make use of an Access Control List (ACL) in securing company data in 2021. An ACL determines who can access what resource and what level of this resource they can access, made possible by whitelisting and blacklisting items and users.
Reasons to Secure Company Data In 2021
The coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in the digitization of tasks and activities. As a result, numerous companies have become a hotbed of cyberattacks. These cyberattacks have prompted a serious conversation around preventing data breaches in 2021. Preventing data breaches in 2021 should be every company’s top priority, as the pace of digitization isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Final Thought
Companies possess sensitive data that needs to be guided at all costs. Taking precautions against potential attacks is better than cleaning up after the attack. Thus, employing the solutions discussed above will help many companies eliminate threats even before they strike.
As an IT security provider, Condition Zebra believes in data protection and keeping your company safe. We would also remind organizations to carry out Penetration Testing regularly to identify any data breaches and to always plan ahead in combating intruders. Claim your FREE Penetration Testing today!
Finally, during these times of COVID-19, we have adapted to Online Training to provide a safe alternative for training. Click here to learn more about our training schedule for 2021.