Data security has become critical to success in today’s complex, data-driven business environments. Companies must continually assess and strengthen their data security posture to maintain trust, stay compliant, and avoid expensive (and embarrassing) breaches.
However, evaluating and improving this posture requires understanding where the organisation’s data security stands, what needs immediate attention, and how to sustain ongoing improvements.
Assess Your Current Data Security Posture
Before making improvements, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of your current state. An initial assessment involves a thorough audit of where sensitive data resides, how it’s classified, and which protections are in place. This consists of:
Data Discovery and Classification: To locate sensitive data assets, begin with data discovery across both on-premises and cloud environments. Categorising data into classes (public, private, restricted) helps prioritise protection efforts.
Access Controls and Permissions Review: Evaluate access controls and permissions to ensure that only authorised individuals can access sensitive data. Mismanaged permissions and excessive access rights are common gaps that can lead to vulnerabilities.
Compliance Audit: Review your data handling policies against compliance requirements like GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI DSS. Identify areas where compliance is lacking and flag these for immediate improvement.
Conducting this assessment provides a clear baseline, helping to identify security gaps and prioritise areas for intervention.
Identify and Mitigate Risks
With an understanding of where data is and how it’s managed, the next step is identifying specific risks and addressing them with targeted controls.
For starters, regular vulnerability scans and occasional penetration tests can reveal gaps in your security configurations. These scans help pinpoint and address issues you may have, like misconfigurations, weak access controls, and ..
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