Accredited to: Dr. Dzaharudin Mansor
Like the name entails, information protection is the use of solutions, technologies, processes, and policies to secure information stored across your network. These days, criminals have evolved to attack us where it hurts, gaining access to our systems where we keep most of the important information.
Information protection focuses on the security of our information systems not only from unauthorised access but also to prevent disruption, modification, and destruction, which encompasses information integrity, confidentiality, and availability.
To organisations in the digitally charged world, data is essentially gold. It can be used for a wide variety of purposes and, if it falls into the wrong hands, can be detrimental to both an organisation and its clients. It doesn’t matter the type of information that a cybercriminal obtains, whether it be employee records, customer accounts, or transaction details, as they can be used for phishing attempts, fraud, and scams.
When you protect your information, you are essentially protecting your organisation’s crown jewels. Further, it ensures that you maintain compliance with regulations, prevent security incidents, and preserve confidence in your business in the eyes of your clients and partners. Failing to protect that information could can lead to lawsuits and fines that will cost your business considerable amounts of money.
Information protection is a framework that uses both security technologies and operations to find the best ways to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities. As the use of technology increases, and more organisations appreciate the importance of information protection, solution providers have been creating tools to aid and simplify their efforts. Take, for example, Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) which allows businesses to protect and classify all types of data no matter where it resides in a seamless manner.
It is always vital for you to first understand your data and identify the important ones in information protection. Then you must apply suitable methods to protect your data, including detecting risky behaviour to prevent data loss. Last but not least, ensure that you are storing and deleting your information in a manner that is compliant with the relevant regulations.
About Dr Dzaharudin Mansor
Dr Dzaharudin is the National Technology Officer (“NTO”) for Microsoft Malaysia. With more than 33 years of professional experience in ICT, he engages with key national technology stakeholders including academics and policymakers to contribute to national development. Passionate in technology, he works closely with academia, holding advisory positions at several universities.