The Most Important Things to Know About Data Compliance

Data compliance is a key part of modern business. It relates to the ways in which organizations manage, protect and store data in all stages of its lifecycle. It involves establishing policies, procedures and protocols that help ensure data is protected against breaches, malware and other security threats.

Data compliance regulations are on the rise, and businesses have to be prepared to comply with them in order to avoid fines and other negative outcomes from governing bodies, criminals and other entities. These new regulations, which affect companies in every industry and across the globe, can be overwhelming for resource-strapped cybersecurity teams.

Here are some of the most important things to know about data compliance:

1. Understand what constitutes personal data and how it is processed 2. Identify and implement the right measures for privacy, such as encryption, authentication and authorization. 3. Ensure your company's data storage meets the requirements of privacy laws, such as retaining data only for as long as is necessary for a specific purpose or to satisfy legal obligations.

4. Ensure data is properly secured to prevent hacking and other cyberattacks by using the latest technologies 5. Minimize data collection, especially on sensitive or confidential information.

7. Ensure data is securely deleted when it no longer has an economic value and/or is no longer required for its original purpose.

8. Vet any vendors who have access to your data.

When you work with vendors and grant them access to your data, it's your responsibility to make sure they also comply with the laws, rules and regulations that apply to your organization. You should also be able to prove that they do so by having clear documentation and reporting in place.

9. Ensure employees are aware of and trained on data compliance standards.

Employees need to be educated about what data is and how it is handled, both inside your organization and when you work with vendors. You should also train them on how to protect your organization's data and how to respond to data breaches and other cybersecurity risks.

12. Review all your supply chain relationships to ensure they are GDPR compliant, including all third parties who access and/or process your data.

13. Identify and mitigate risk associated with geolocation, biometric data and other data that may pose privacy threats to your customers.

15. Encrypt data in transit and at rest (both local and remote) to reduce the risk of data breaches, theft or other attacks.

16. Ensure data is stored in a way that protects it against data breaches and other cybersecurity threats, including utilizing the latest data management technologies such as in-memory data grids, event stream processing and integration platforms as a service. Click here for more info about this topic.

17. Enable employees to report a data breach in 72 hours or less.

A data breach is a serious issue that can lead to loss of customer trust and a huge financial burden for your company. This can impact sales, revenue and brand image, and is a risk your business can't afford to ignore. Getting the proper training and tools in place for your staff will help you avoid penalties and other negative consequences from compliance laws, including those that have been implemented by the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  To get more enlightened on the topic, check out this related post: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_privacy.