Enterprise Data Security Explanation, Aspects & Strategy

In January 2023, Mail Chimp went through a significant data breach risking all of their customers' data. This type of data breaches in the IT world show how fragile enterprise data security can be for businesses, even if the data breach is unintended.

In this blog, we will take a closer look at enterprise data security and how to protect it from malicious attacks and what crucial steps can be taken to protect businesses from the outside world.

Part 1: The Importance of Enterprise Data

In today's digital age, where everything is happening digitally, the company's most valued asset is data. Therefore, if a company loses data, it can lead to drastic consequences.

IBM mentioned that a data breach can cost up to $3.68 million to a business and more if it is not handled carefully.

The losses of data breaches prevail beyond finances, and the biggest risk is reputation. Data protection enterprise, therefore, is more than just a solution to protect data as it ensures the company's reputation as well as avoiding any financial losses.

Part 2: What Does Enterprise Data Security Mean?

Protecting the digital data of a company requires a perfect balance between enterprise data security and functionality. This means the security protocols to protect the data should not resist the company's functional needs and at the same time, protect its data.

When a company's data is compromised, the company faces immediate financial hits as well as a bad reputation in the market. This means every company, big or small, needs a robust data protection plan to ensure the safety of the business first. A strong data security plan is key to successful business operation, upholding the trust of the clients and ensuring the business runs smoothly.

Part 3: 6 Types of Enterprise Data

Part 4: What Aspects Do Enterprise Data Security Involve?

It has been a commonality that enterprises across various industries rely on digital platforms and technologies to operate. This leads to an exponential growth in the volume of data generated and managed. As such, enterprise data security become a top priority. But what are included? According to the carrying material, it can be divided into these five aspects.

Database Security

The first aspect is database security, which implies keeping databases safe to protect inactive data against unauthorized user access.

Cloud Security

As depicted in the name, cloud security ensures the data that is stored in the cloud storage. The security of cloud data is important as it has become an integral part of today's business operations.

Network Security

Ensures the data being sent or received are free from any outside intruders or spies. It also ensures that data is sent or received in its original form without any alteration.

Endpoint and Mobile Security

Ensures the data stores in the company's or personal devices are safe, as well as the chances of data leaks are minimal.

Application Security

As it is depicted in the name, ensuring data that is handled by the apps is safe, as well as eliminating any security weakness that can lead to data leakage.

Part 5: 7 Enterprise Data Security Strategy

Regardless of the size or nature, a data security strategy can help safeguard organization's valuable information. There are seven strategies that help in enterprise data protection.

● Data Lifecycle Management

Lifecycle management means ensuring data is secured from the moment it was created until it is disposed of. This also means all the steps involved from start to end are secured.

● Data Audit and Classification

This involves checking data every day to categorize it according to, first, enterprise data security requirements and then according to the data value and its sensitivity and deciding what measures need to be taken to protect it.

● Data Risk Assessment

This involves what kind of risks can compromise data security and taking steps to mitigate these risks.

● Data Backup and Recovery

Setting up recovery plans is important when it comes to enterprise data strategy. These plans can keep the data flowing in case of an unforeseen event that may cause the data to be wiped off.

● Identity and Access Management

Managing access and identification ensures who can access the data and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access. This also limits the exposure of sensitive data to only authorized people.

● Data Loss Prevention Policy

Crafting DLP policies that can stop data breaches before they happen. This is important as it enforces necessary protocols to follow to spot any failure in data security strategies.

● Security Awareness and Training

The awareness involves conducting training sessions among employees and giving them the knowledge and guidelines about data security and prevention of any act that can lead to data breaches.

Part 6: How to Secure Enterprise Data?

Securing enterprise data involves a layered approach, combining strategic actions and multiple security tools. Here are a few fundamental methods and solutions for regulating and protecting enterprise data:

1Manage Data lifecycle

1.1 Collect Data: The first thing in managing the data lifecycle is to collect data from business apps or other IoT devices involved. It is important to keep data privacy in mind while collecting data from these devices.

1.2 Storage and Maintenance: Set up plans for storage and maintenance of data according to the volume and types of data.

1.3 Access Control: Keep an eye on who can access the data and how the data is being used to avoid any unauthorized user access or data leakage.

1.4 Archive Data: It is important to keep the archive data in a secure environment to maintain data quality as well as free up space.

1.5 Delete Unnecessary Data: Deleting unnecessary data means to get rid of all the data that is not needed to minimize the risk of exposure.

2Audit Organization's Data Assets

Audit organizational data sets means conducting detailed audits of the company's data and categorizing it according to the risk exposure and how much protection it will need. 

3Conduct a Data Risk Assessment

To conduct a risk assessment, it is necessary to frequently evaluate the risks to ensure data security measures are in place.

3.1 Analyze Threats and Vulnerabilities: Analyze the risk levels of data according to their categorization as well as where they are stored.

3.2 Risk Mitigation Plan: Craft a mitigation plan to minimize the impact of risk. For further risk mitigation strategies, ISO 27005 guidelines can serve as a good tool.

4Create a data backup and recovery plan

Craft a comprehensive data backup and recovery plan to make sure that the system can be up and running in no time in case of a security breach. Cloud based services such as AWS Backup and recovery software such as Veeam Backup & Replication and Acronis True Image can help in such situations.

4.1 Backup Methods: Since each system is built differently, therefore, it is necessary to choose which type of backup method will work with the deployed system.

4.2 Storage Method: It is necessary to pick a storage method that is necessary as well as reliable to store the data.

4.3 Verify Backups: Verify the backups every day to ensure they work as well as to maintain data integrity.

4.4 Recovery Plan: Make a recovery plan to recover data in case of losing data. Services like Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) can also assist in coming up with a recovery plan according to business needs.

5Implement Identity and Access Management

5.1 Determine Users: Define the access and authorization of data, which means sensitive data should only be accessible to a few people.

5.2 Define Requirements: The requirements need to be set up according to user roles, data types, and the IT infrastructure of the organization.

5.3 Access Policies: Craft policies that define the roles of managing data. This will ensure only people with approved authorization get their hands on the data.

5.4 Educate Users: Provide training or awareness sessions to the users to ensure they know the organizational policies to follow about the data and its authorization.

6Set up Data Loss Prevention Policy

6.1 Sensitive Data: Identify the data that is sensitive to the organization and take some extra measures to protect it, especially Personal Identifiable Information (PUII).

6.2 Scope Definition: Clearly define what data needs to be protected first and what security measures need to be taken to eliminate it.

6.3 Policy Definition: Clarify the policies to authorize users to access data and compliance requirements. This can also include when to change the system passwords and who has the authority to do it.

6.4 Employee Training: Conduct training for employees on a regular basis to ensure the employees understand the importance of data security and relevant policies.

Part 7: Technologies Used for Enterprise Data Security

Technology is the major key when it comes to boosting enterprise data security. Here are some of the tools that can assist businesses in shielding data from possible outbreaks:

Firewalls

These act as a potential shield between internal and external networks. Any data coming from outside the network has to pass through firewalls, and they drop all the traffic that is malicious in nature.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDS & IPS)

As depicted from the name, IDS and IPS identify cyber threats and stop them from entering the network. Enterprise data encryption strategies may also revolve around IDS & IPS.

Encryption

This technology plays an important role in encrypting data, whether it is being sent or received. The only way to read encrypted data is through a secure key.

Data Masking

This technology assists in hiding sensitive information in a database, such as personal information. This sensitive information is kept hidden during tests so it may not be accidentally exposed to the outside world.

Data Erasure

In order to make sure the data cannot be retrieved after it is erased, data erasure assists in completely wiping off the data from storage devices.

Data Containers

These tools help to isolate the data as well as control the data environment.

Authentication

Strong authentication ensures the users' identity and blocks any user who is not authorized to access a specific system.

By implementing these technologies, companies can enhance their data security, making it impossible for a cyber threat or any intruder to break in the system.

Part 8: How to Respond to a Data Breach

Even the best security systems deployed in the world are suspected to be breached. The following steps are recommended in case a business faces a data breach:

In the end, having a vivid data breach response and plan can cut down the financial losses as well as control the damage done to the business.