Data Security For All
The word data will soon be part of the ‘new’ normal and cease to become just a buzzword thrown around in tandem with the onset of digitalisation and automation. While we familiarise ourselves with data and all of its seemingly magical capabilities, we are seldom reminded of safety and security until tragedy strikes. Just like insurance, you invest in a safety net to prepare for the worst.
What is Data Security
Data security is a set of standard protocols that shields data from accidental or intentional harm, exposure or modification. There are many ways data security can be implemented including the traditional administrative access, physical security, following organisational standards to software-regulated limitations.
The Importance of Data Security
You and your team spend endless of hours accumulating contacts over the years and building rapport with clients. Once you’ve identified what makes them sticky to your brand, the relationship would have resulted in remarks, notes and development of their requirements over time. The amount of data stored could very well be huge in quantity but the value of it in terms of quality would be near impossible to put a price tag on.
Client’s information is sensitive and exposing it intentionally would never be on your mind at all. However, we can never control the intentions of other parties who would do anything to get ahead of the game. We have all heard horror stories of information leakage of famous companies and how the breach of data privacy is never appreciated by the victims of the incidents. To keep information safe is to understand how easy it is to safeguard but also how equally easy it is to lose it.
Compliance and Reality Gap
We are all guilty of electronically accepting terms and conditions of an agreement online just to get over the sign-up process quickly. This places you as the user automatically compliant to all of the governing rules set by the platform host. Lucky for us, they would also have to avoid being sneaky because it is in their best interest to ensure a smooth engagement through and through.
However, not all brands and individuals abide by the policy of honesty and integrity. In Malaysia, we are guarded by the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and it is best to always seek consent when you intend to collect information from clients and also as a brand guarding on all fronts, ensure the data is held in high regard. It is best to avoid bad publicity due to mishandling of harvested data.
Enterprises must reassess their existing policy time and again, especially now in this post-pandemic economy. Working from home should also be monitored; not so much the behaviour of the employee but more so the management of data that is exchanged from network to network. It pays to be prepared.
