Data security is crucial to any business and for the protection of clients and trade secrets, but what is data security exactly? Keep reading to learn more.
Definition
Data security is the practice of maintaining confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an organization’s data. In other words, data security exists to ensure that the data is trustworthy and private within a closed system while still being accessible to those who need it.
This concept is also called the CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability). If any of the three components are compromised, companies could face financial loss, litigation, reputational damage, client loss, and more. Because the stakes are so high, most organizations have additional safety measures in place to protect their data.
Why Is Data Security Important?
As mentioned previously, data security often equals privacy and protects the interests and information of a group, individual, or other entity. In a superficial sense, data security helps brands protect their unique proposition. For example, Coca-Cola is famous for its secret soda recipe. If the recipe were to get out and others were to replicate it, Coca-Cola would lose their unique selling proposition and their competitive edge. That is why their secret recipe is under heavy security.
In a very real sense, data security saves lives. The legal and medical fields rely on privacy and confidentiality when lives are in the balance. If a defendant is facing the death penalty but their attorney accidentally leaks their information, it could incriminate them in front of the court.
For healthcare facilities, privacy is a requirement. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 exists to protect medical information from theft or misappropriation. HIPAA is federal law and almost every hospital system, practice, and urgent care facility must abide by these rules.
Because of HIPAA and other privacy regulations, patient information is encrypted and there are extensive processes that limit access to confidential data. Likewise, practitioners have a duty of care to keep their patients’ information confidential.
When healthcare data is compromised, companies can use it to create predatory schemes and some individuals could use the information against the patient. For these reasons, data security is often a matter of life or death.
Types of Data Breaches
There are many reasons why data is compromised. Scammers and hackers often use underhanded methods to prey on vulnerable people and organizations. Now that there are so many kinds of technology in existence, there are endless ways to corrupt or steal information.
Common reasons why data is breached include:
- Accidental leaks
- Phishing attacks
- Backdoors
- Physical breaches
- Lack of access controls
- Distributed denial-of-service attacks
Data breaches can have big consequences and without proper plans in place, you could lose more than a few bytes of information.
Safe Digitalization and Encryption
At Acro Photo Print Inc. we understand that while data security is crucial to all businesses, it is not the easiest to secure. That is why we offer OCR services, secure archival, medical record scanning and shredding solutions. When you entrust us with your data, you can rest assured that it will be safe, secure, and accessible.
Stop by today for more information or call us at (929) 244-4322 to find out how we can help you protect what matters most.