The Absolute Basics of Protecting Data in 2016

Whether you choose our data protection products or someone else’s, here are the boiled-down-no-marketing-basic things that you need to know about protecting data in 2016:

  • Which encryption technology is used: Data encryption is the process of scrambling data so that it is unreadable by anyone without a special secret called a key. Encryption is also the most common and widely accepted method of protecting data.
  • Data protected at rest: Sensitive data needs to be protected when its saved on disk. If your vendor does not encrypt data at rest, it likely that it can be readable by anyone who has access to the disk.
  • Data protection in transit: Sensitive data that is sent from your computer to your vendor, or from your vendor to the recipient needs protection while it is being transmitted. If not, your data could be intercepted and read by unauthorized people.
  • Regulatory, standards and state law requirements: Today, federal regulations, standards and state laws often have specific requirements on how data is protected. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your particular industry’s or state’s data protection requirements to avoid compliance violations.

That’s it, that’s the basics. If you get these right, you’ll be way ahead of the crowd.

Stay tuned, because next week I’ll provide you with a checklist of things you need to ask your vendor about how they are protecting your data.

–Kevin