In the digital world, business owners have no choice, but to keep up with technological advancements and to analyze major trends in their industry. With increasing incidents of data breaches, cyber attacks and compromised private information, it becomes all the more essential to take extra precaution to protect data sets. However, in order to protect the integrity of big data, business owners must first understand and identify their system’s points of weakness.
Human Error
In short, data breaches occur when an outside source finds a hole, or vulnerability, within a company’s tech infrastructure. Oftentimes, the vulnerability comes from a human error due to misinformation or not enough IT education. It takes a team of qualified professionals to create a solid IT solution. It doesn’t stop there, your IT team should also train company employees on best practices, so as not to open up any opportunities for cyber criminals to infiltrate the system. Miscommunication and misunderstandings between IT teams and other staff are responsible for plenty of breaches yearly. Protect your company’s assets by opening up those channels of communication.
Focusing Too Hard on Endpoint Security
As a relatively new practice, big data security is not always a first thought when it comes to security infrastructures. Most companies did not originally build their IT structures to handle and protect big data, and so their data security plans mostly focus on endpoint security (i.e. protecting corporate network when it is accessed through remote/wireless devices). Melissa Thomson of Smart Data Collective recommends to focus on application security instead. Implementing encryption software, among other tactics, will help to deter attackers.
Fear of the Cloud
More and more business are moving their data away from physical data centers and into the cloud. That being said, there is still a surprising amount of reluctance and hesitation to make the switch. According to a Survata survey, 51 percent of business owners surveyed said that initially their concerns with data security held them back from adopting public cloud systems. The same survey indicated that 25 percent of the participants were eager to increase their use of public clouds in the near future.
Big data can provide vital information for a company to thrive and exceed above competition, but only if it is well protected and maintained. If you are interested in exploring a tailored plan to suit your cyber security, call today at 816-781-3006
