Data protection is one of the best investments you can make for your organization because it keeps your most valuable assets safe. But how do you define data protection for your organization? The key is to outline a plan and then put in the work to see it to completion. Here is an easy-to-follow roadmap to help you get started.
- Know the types of data your organization collects. This is different for every organization. It can include financial or personal information, research, or virtually any other type of data that is important to your organization.
- Categorize your data. Categorizing the sensitivity level of the types of data you collect will help you determine the security tools necessary to keep your information safe. You will want to double-check the categories you place your data to mirror regulatory standards for your industry.
- Assess how you collect, store, and manage your data. Now that you have categorized the sensitivity level of your data, do you need to restructure how you store and manage it? Are you providing the right level of security based on the categories you placed them in?
- Restructure according to your needs. Once you identify your missteps, fix them. It is a tedious process, but every organization—regardless of size and resources—is susceptible to a data breach.
Remember, data protection looks different for every organization. As you go through defining your data protection plan, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Complying with data protection regulations is essential, but it is only the beginning of your data protection strategy.
- Your data protection strategy should start with compliance. This is a great opportunity to see if your organization is doing basic things correctly and to rethink your training and processes as needed.
- Don’t be afraid to ask whether the information your organization collects is essential. Yes, this is a loaded question that takes time to iron out, but in the long run, eliminating the collection and storage of unnecessary data can save your organization time and resources.
- Customizing your data protection strategy is essential. Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach for data protection, you need to put in the work to achieve the data protection your organization requires.
Working with a partner that understands your unique challenges can help ensure that you implement the right mix of technologies for a centralized data protection strategy that is easy to deploy and use.
Sirius maintains the highest level of partnerships and certifications with the top manufacturers in the industry and supports their solutions with our Data Protection and Information Management (DPIM) practice. We will partner with you to show how your organization can take advantage of what you already have, determine what you need to add and reduce complexity with standardization.
If you would like to engage with a Sirius data protection specialist about data protection and disaster recovery solutions, please speak with your Sirius client executive or contact us directly at dpim@siriuscom.com.
