Cybersecurity and Data Protection are two different fields within security that often remain separate, yet combining them can result in an approach that safeguards both personal and organizational information from cyberattack.
Cyber security is a complex field dedicated to safeguarding all forms of data against theft or loss, including sensitive files such as Protected Health Information (PHI), customer and employee records, intellectual property assets, financial transactions and government and business systems. Cybersecurity specialists work tirelessly to prevent attacks that would jeopardise this valuable information and data.
Yet cybersecurity is only half of the battle; cybercriminals have increasingly turned their focus to extracting data from organizations for profiting in various ways. Ransomware may encrypt files before demanding payment to unlock them; weak authentication protocols could also provide them with access to sensitive information that can be exploited to gain entry.
An attack that compromises the data of many individuals can be extremely harmful to an organization’s reputation, with consumers potentially losing trust and taking their business elsewhere – with serious repercussions for their bottom line and legal liability issues for both consumers and employees involved. A high-profile data breach can even result in lawsuits being brought by affected people, potentially costing more than anticipated by companies.
2020 Fortra survey findings indicate that even one incident of data exposure can damage a company’s reputation and cost it millions in fines. A comprehensive cybersecurity and data protection strategy can protect against this risk by making sure critical data remains safe from attacks, remains accurate, and available when needed.
Integrating cybersecurity and data protection can also help businesses meet security regulations such as GDPR and California privacy laws, which focus on how an organisation processes and stores personal data as well as how quickly notifications of data breaches reach those affected by them. By merging these disciplines into one integrated approach to security systems management across an expanded attack surface that now includes cloud services, enterprise data centers, edge devices like IoT sensors or robots can become much simpler for organisations to monitor.
Businesses undergoing digital transformation projects also need a consolidated data security approach. Implementing new systems, migrating to the cloud or revamping legacy back-end infrastructure may increase an organization’s attack surface and necessitate more complex data management procedures; an integrated cybersecurity and data protection strategy allows these systems to be developed safely while mitigating any risk to sensitive information.
With data becoming more valuable by the day, its protection becomes ever more essential. By integrating cybersecurity and data protection measures into their businesses’ strategies for safeguarding information assets against cyberattacks as well as to shield customers and staff against the risks of unapproved data access.
