Data protection has become a hot topic in recent years. We have seen major tech companies like Facebook and Google being questioned about their data collection practices. Besides the tech companies, there are also concerns about hackers getting access to our private information. In the following lines, we will take a look at what is data protection, why we should care about it, and how to protect ourselves.
What is Data Protection?
In its most basic form, data protection is about protecting your information so it does not get in the wrong hands or damaged. Data protection can be further divided into data backup and data recovery.
Data protection is important for both businesses and individuals. If you have important documents stored on your computer and something happens to that computer then those documents may be lost forever. Saving a copy of those documents will help you avoid the trouble. Another aspect of data protection is to make it faster for people to recover from a data compromise situation.
For businesses, it’s important to protect the information they have about their employees, client, business practices, and finances. Just like it’s important to do a background search when selecting an employee, it’s the business’s responsibility to take the necessary data protection measures to protect employee data.
Options for Data Protection
There are many techniques people use to back up their data. Of course, the traditional way is to use a disk or external drive. Continuous data protection (CDP) is used in many businesses to back up all the data of the business. This technique is useful because it ensures that no information is lost.
Another technique is mirroring, where you store an exact copy of the data in a place where you haven’t stored the main data file. Cloud computing has added another dimension to data backup because now you can store everything online along with or instead of storing it in a disk. Many of the main players in the tech space offer cloud storage.
Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery (DR) is different from data backup because disaster recovery focuses on what needs to be done to ensure a fast recovery. An important concept related to data recovery is snapshots. Storage snapshots point to information on a disk or tape, which allows faster recovery.
Besides manual methods and online storage to backup data, you can also find software that is specifically designed to help you with data recovery.
Best Practices for Data Protection
Here are some measures that individuals/businesses can take to protect their data:
Keep the software updated
The security of the software you use plays an important role in protecting your data. Software companies regularly release updates, including updates for the security features. Make sure your system and that all the systems connected to your home/office network are up to date. If you are in the market for antivirus software, make sure you compare providers before choosing.
Don’t use public WiFi networks
Public wiFi networks are a threat to data security because you don’t have any control over who can access that network. If the public network is the only option you have, then it’s a good idea to use a virtual private network (VPN). Your IP address can reveal a lot about you. A VPN will hide your IP address so other people on the network will not be able to locate you.
However, be careful when selecting a VPN service. There are many well-known and not-so-well-known companies offering VPN services. You don’t want to end up with the company that is collecting your data like the companies you want to avoid.
Find a good Internet provider
Besides connection speed and cost, ask the internet provider about the security measures they offer. If you are running a business here are some tips to find a good business.
Use strong authentication methods
Make access to your information as secure as possible. One way of doing this is to have multi-step authentication for your accounts. Besides the password, 2-factor authentication requires users to enter a code, sent to their phone or email, for logging into their account. When it comes to your main password, avoid common terms or repetitive terms, and change your passwords every 6 months or earlier, if possible.
Data Protection is Paramount
Investing in data protection is an important aspect of conducting business. It won’t just protect you from hackers, it will also keep your information safe. Spending several bucks for data backup and protection is better than being sorry in the future.
