The Ins and Outs of Data-Centric Security

Last Updated on January 21, 2020 by Ashok Kumar

We’ve said it many times before, but it is worth emphasising; organizations need to be doing more about securing their data from the inside-out. Currently, as has been the case for numerous years, organizations are spending too much on perimeter security (which is, of course, important) and forgetting to focus on the thing that matters the most, the data itself.

We speak to many organizations that have very strong perimeter defences and security solutions in place. Things like access controls, firewalls, antimalware tools and other fancy pieces of software. However, one major problem still remains. A lot of these organizations are still unable to provide answers regarding what is actually happening with their most sensitive data.

It’s no longer enough to focus your cybersecurity strategy on building up walls around the data. In an era of collaboration, where sensitive data is being shared across numerous devices and organizations, it’s vital that you implement a data-centric approach to security.

There are several Data Security Platforms that employ a data-centric approach to their security methods. Before choosing a Data Security Platform for your organization, you need to ensure that it meets a number of key criteria which I will go into below.

The Importance of Visibility

The causes behind a vast number of the most talked about data breaches of the last few years can be traced back to a lack of visibility. But how exactly does increased visibility around your data help you prevent data breaches?

The Data Security Platform you choose should be able to give you an idea of where your most sensitive data is and what makes it sensitive. This way you can focus your strategy on the data that matters most in terms of the repercussions associated with losing it to a breach.

You should also be able to see exactly who has access to this data. These privileged users should become the focus of your security monitoring, as they are the ones that could potentially do the most damage to you. Visibility into every change these users are making to the data and surrounding permissions will help you spot unauthorized or unwanted changes that could be damaging.

Convenience is Key

If a Data Security Platform isn’t easy and convenient to use, then security teams simply aren’t going to get any value out it them. When implementing any cybersecurity solution, you need to consider how it is going to affect your end users and how easy it is going to be to train up staff on using it.

It’s Only a Matter of Time

If there’s one thing the data breaches of the last few years have taught us, its that no company is safe. It doesn’t matter how big your cybersecurity budget is and how good your preventative measures are, attackers and insider threats will still get to you.

It’s for this reason that you need a good Data Security Platform in place, to help you focus your attention on the areas that matter and speed up your response to potential security incidents.

If you’d like to see a Data Security Platform that fits all these criteria in action, come at take a look at Lepide. You can schedule a personalized demo of Lepide DSP from here.