Data Protection in the age of big data is emerging as one of the most important tools for controlling, managing, and protecting corporate information. Data Protection refers to a suite of techniques that help control who has access to digital resources at what time and from where they can access them. The following are the key components of Data Protection Infrastructure.
Identity and Access Management (IAM)
IAM is a critical component of data security as it enables organizations to manage user identities and control access to resources within the organization. IAM solutions provide a centralized way to manage users, passwords, permissions, and access rights. IAM systems can also identify malicious or negligent insiders trying to access unauthorized data or systems.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
SIEM is a tool that collects, aggregates, analyzes, and correlates security alerts, events, and information on a real-time basis to detect incidents early so that corrective actions can be taken immediately to prevent data loss. SIEM tools work by effectively combining log management with monitoring capabilities across an organization's entire IT infrastructure, including network devices, servers, etc., helping companies detect unusual system activity even before it results in an incident.
Dark Web Monitoring
The dark web refers to the section of the internet which cannot be accessed via traditional search engines like Google or Bing. Instead, individuals and organizations use the dark web to engage in illegal and unethical activities like selling and buying personal information, credit card information, counterfeit currency, etc. Organizations use the monitoring of this part of the internet to identify hackers trying to sell company data on the dark web to prevent potential attacks that may originate from such sources.
Encryption at Rest and in Transit
Data loss is a significant concern for companies today as sensitive records containing customers' personal identifiable information (PII) have become a prime target for financial fraudsters and cybercriminals looking to steal sensitive data from unsuspecting corporations. Encrypting data while stored on hard drives or servers helps protect against unauthorized access by securing all stored resources on a network. In transit encryption ensures that information cannot be intercepted while being transferred from one server to another, stopping unauthorized access by hackers.
Privileged Account Management
A privileged account refers to administrative accounts that have been granted high levels of permissions on a system or network to maintain and control the environment. Hackers or malicious insiders who gain access to these accounts may be able to damage data, steal sensitive information and even crash a company's entire network if their activities go undetected for a long period. Companies must keep track of privileged users' activity and ensure that access points are secure by implementing an effective privileged account management solution.
With growing cloud-based services, electronic records, mobile access to corporate networks, and mobile devices used by employees, companies are increasingly vulnerable to data security issues. These issues can lead to significant financial losses in terms of network downtime, loss of customer confidence, regulatory fines, litigation costs, etc. To protect their data against these vulnerabilities, it becomes necessary that companies have very strong passwords on all accounts and put in place an appropriate infrastructure for data protection.