Data security is a major concern for businesses. While you should always be concerned about security and privacy, it’s imperative if your business deals with sensitive data such as credit card information and Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
If someone gains access to your database, they can access your customers’ details. Not only would this be bad for business, but it could also get you in legal trouble.
It’s not enough to protect sensitive data where it’s collected or even stored. The data transmission chain needs to be secure, such as during hardware manufacture or transit of IT assets. Data security is a significant issue in cloud computing, where IT teams constantly swap out hardware, inadvertently exposing data during user transfer or transition.
Businesses looking to protect confidential information from unauthorized users while complying with government regulations commonly use data sanitization. Data destruction software helps businesses with large amounts of sensitive information quickly sanitize their media devices. The main goal of these software products is to protect them from accidental and unauthorized data tampering or theft.
Data sanitization policy
Practical application of data sanitization methods can reduce the likelihood of data theft or exposure. There are numerous viable alternatives for any business to destroy data and media permanently. Companies can manage their data erasure obligations while complying with regulations with a well-laid-out data sanitization policy.
Many data sanitization regulations have particular data preservation policies and process requirements. A data destruction policy ensures that information is securely removed or destroyed from devices and media that are no longer in use, making it impossible to retrieve vital data. Having a data destruction policy also reduces the likelihood of a data or privacy breach and the liability your business may face.
In addition to a data destruction policy, every business should have appropriate procedures documenting the process used to destroy the data and media. Most current laws that require data management policies and processes also mandate written documentation of all data retention and disposal operations.
Data sanitization standards
Data sanitization is a common practice in most disciplines and must be universally understood at different levels of business and government. As a result, a comprehensive data sanitization strategy is essential for the work of the government and the private sector to prevent data loss, expose sensitive information to competitors, and disclose proprietary technology.
With the world increasingly connected, governments, businesses, and people must adhere to specific data sanitization policies to maintain data confidentiality throughout their lifetime.
Regulations require companies to have strict record-keeping policies and processes but do not prescribe a specific type of data storage. Business executives must implement internal controls over their information to ensure its completeness, accuracy, and speed of access.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) also provides in-depth guidance on sanitizing data storage media depending on the classification of a data privacy organization for information. Learn more about Data Sanitization in our blog and contact the arimas Team for more details!
