On a personal level many people want their personal data to be secure in the hands of an organization. This is also http://www.mydigitalbusinessblog.com/what-is-avast-antitrack-premium true for the enterprise, where a strong data security is essential to retaining customers and building trust with employees and stakeholders.

Data security is the safeguarding of digital information from loss, corruption and theft throughout its entire life cycle. It encompasses everything from hardware and storage devices to user devices, software and access control. It also involves ensuring policies and procedures are in place to avoid data breaches.

The most commonly used types of data protection include encryption, data masking, and resiliency. The importance of encryption is in the information in use and while in transit as it renders the content illegible to any unauthorized entity. Data masking is a complimentary method to encryption, remapping sensitive digital data with fabricated information. It can be used to manage databases and software testing, as well as research and development, and training.

Resiliency means having backups and copies to protect critical data which can be restored quickly in the event of an incident or breach. It also means removing physical storage media like USBs and external drives (and even printed documents and files) on a regular schedule to ensure that the data is not discovered by hackers.

Security of data is a top concern for companies because any data breach that is prominent can cost them millions in cost of recovery and forensic expenses. It could also result in penalties for compliance, as well as result in lasting damage to their reputations and customer loyalty. It’s also a legal requirement as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act require organizations to protect personal information.