Businesses today exist in an age of data. Companies collect data on customers, clients, and sales, and turn this data into more sophisticated marketing and ultimately, better business. However, with great data comes great responsibility (we couldn't resist). How can companies balance the lure of big data with the necessity for data security? Here's big data security 101.
The bigger your data, the harder it falls. That's why companies like Target have been in the news when they suffer data breaches; the amount of information their leaks made available to outside sources was staggering and frightening. It's more than unwise to consider your company immune to the modern threat of data breaches.
Many companies use the cloud to house and control their big data, which makes sense. Big data can clock in at a staggering size, often measured in petabytes (a million gigabytes). Many companies don't install their own big data infrastructure due to the sheer volume of data it would have to control. The cloud is a worthy option, but not without its security flaws. Big data often contains sensitive information about countless individuals, and for ethical, legal, and monetary reasons should be protected at all costs.
The best data-centric encryption solutions are one of two: either carefully control and maintain access to your system, or encrypt the data. Although the first method is easier to implement and can cost less, it's also less effective, which could cost your company its existence down the road.
If you're getting a headache just considering the implications of securing your big data, don't worry. We have experts on standby who have years of experience handling data security. For more information about our IT managed services, contact us today.