What is Data Security and Cybersecurity?
All businesses use data – for example, employee data, tax data, proprietary data, or customer data. Data is vital to the operation of a business. If that data is compromised in some way, the business may not be able to function. Data security refers to protective digital privacy measures that are applied to prevent unauthorized access to computers, databases and websites. Data security also protects data from corruption. Data security is an essential aspect of IT for organizations of every size and type.
Data security is also known as information security.
Information Security is formally defined as “The protection of information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction in
order to provide confidentiality, integrity, and availability”
Information security encompasses people, processes, and technologies. It concentrates on how to protect:
- Confidentiality - protecting information from unauthorized access and disclosure. For example, what would happen to your company if customer information such as usernames, passwords, or credit card information was stolen?
- Integrity - protecting information from unauthorized modification. For example, what if your payroll information or a proposed product design was changed?
- Availability - preventing disruption in how you access information. For example, what if you couldn’t log in to your bank account or access your customer’s information, or your customers couldn’t access you?
As more and more information becomes digitized - digitally stored, processed, and communicated - cybersecurity has become a key component of information security.
Cybersecurity means protecting electronic devices and electronically stored information.
Cybersecurity is formally defined as “Prevention of damage to, protection of, and restoration of computers, electronic communications systems, electronic communications services, wire
communication, and electronic communication, including information contained therein, to ensure its availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and nonrepudiation”
As part of information security, cybersecurity works in conjunction with a variety of other security measures. As a whole, these information security components provide defense against a wide range of potential threats to your business’s information.
Is My Business Too Small to Worry About Cybersecurity?
Many businesses have been putting resources—including people, technology, and budgets—into protecting themselves from information security and cybersecurity threats. As a result, they have become a more difficult target for malicious attacks from hackers and cyber criminals. Consequently, hackers and cyber criminals are now successfully focusing more of their unwanted attention on less secure businesses. Read more …