When we talk about data protection, we think of access controls, encryption, backups or monitoring. But there is one basic question that may go unnoticed: where are those data?
The answer may be more complex than it seems. A company can operate in Ecuador, to use applications that are hosted in other countries, to store backups and work with suppliers that process some of the information from different locations.
This does not necessarily mean that there is a problem of security or compliance. The important thing is to know how to move the information, who is involved in this tour and what conditions apply at each stage.
As they grow up services in the cloud, collaboration platforms and tools of artificial intelligence, to know the location of the data ceases to be a technical detail and becomes an important part of your government.
The location of the data is also part of the security
For many years, and to identify where was the information was relatively simple. The files were in physical servers located within the office or in data centers managed directly by the company. Today the scenario is different.
The information may be distributed among cloud services, productivity platforms, SaaS applications, backup systems, devices, users, and hybrid environments. Even the same set of data can pass through different services and regions during its life cycle.
That's why protecting information is not only in control of who can access it. It also involves understanding:
- Where it is stored.
- Who processes it.
- What providers are involved.
- What regulations may apply.
- What controls are in place during storage, processing and transfer.
Without this visibility, it is difficult to know what risks exist and how to manage them.
Residence data: location and control
The residence's data refers to the physical place or geographical areas where the information is stored and processed.
For example, a company may operate in Ecuador while using platforms whose data centers are located in the united States, Europe and distinct regions of Latin america.
When this information is not clear, difficulties may arise to respond to audits, to meet regulatory requirements, manage contracts with suppliers, or to demonstrate that there are adequate controls.
Therefore, to know the residence of the information allows you to make decisions with greater context, especially when dealing with sensitive data or subject to specific requirements.
Sovereignty digital: a conversation every time most relevant
In recent years there has been a growing interest in concepts such as sovereignty and digital control of the data.
Although these terms are often associated with governments or large organizations, they are in fact relevant to any company that handles sensitive information.
The sovereignty of digital searches for organizations to maintain control over your information regardless of where it is hosted.
In practice this means to understand aspects such as:
- What legislation can be applied on the data
- Who has access to the information
- Where it is stored
- How to process
- In what conditions can be transferred between locations.
For sectors such as banking, insurance, health, education or government institutions, these questions are a normal part of the processes of compliance and risk management.
However, more and more organizations of all sizes need to answer the questions with clarity.
Compliance and data protection: two conversations inseparable
The regulations of data protection and privacy may require controls over how it is collected, used, retained, transferred and deleted the information.
Therefore, a strategy of compliance should not only begin by asking who has access to a file or application. First it is necessary to understand the route information.
Where does it come from? Where is it stored? Who processes it? How much time should be kept? What other systems or providers can reach?
Answering these questions allows you to have a more complete vision of the life-cycle of the data and facilitates the management of risk, audit and compliance requirements.
The cloud increased innovation, but also the points that need to be monitored
The adoption of cloud services has changed the way they operate.
Today it is possible to work from anywhere, access to resources, immediately, and scale services with a speed that some years ago it was unthinkable.
But this flexibility can also make that information is distributed to more platforms and providers.
The challenge is not only to know what tools the company is using, but to understand what information flows through each one of them.
An updated inventory can help to identify the critical data, applications that process, the responsible, the regions where they are stored, the providers involved and the mechanisms used to protect it.
This visibility makes the decisions of security and compliance, but also enables you to detect dependencies, and better prepare future initiatives of digital transformation.
Before you implement IA, you should know what data you have
The tools AI may consult documents, analyze large volumes of data and generate responses using data available within an organization. That can be very useful, but also makes it more obvious any problem that already exists in the form of managing these data.
Excessive permissions, information, sensitive unclassified, shared documents incorrectly or repositories without adequate controls can go unnoticed for years.
When a tool of the AI begins to use that information, these deficiencies can acquire a new dimension.
That is why, before incorporating AI into business processes, it is advisable to be clear about qw hat information, who can access it and under what controls can be used.
The security of the AI begins, in large measure, by the government of the information that feeds it.
Guardian 360: protection, visibility, and control
Within a strategy such as the Guardian 360, the protection of data is addressed from a holistic perspective.
The goal is not to incorporate tools in isolation, but gain visibility into critical information, identify risks and establish controls that respond to the real needs of the business.
This can include skills related to data classification, identity management, access control, monitoring, endpoint protection, backup, compliance, prevention of leakage of information and incident response.
Data protection starts with a simple question:
Do we really know where our information?
Because in an environment where the cloud, mobility, and AI continue to expand, protect your data, no longer consists of only restrict access or block threats.
Means to understand the information, to learn about their location, to keep control over it and ensure its use is aligned with the objectives of the business.