Data storage has become part of our daily life in this age of modernization and technological advancement. And the easiest and efficient way to do this is through computers and related technologies. However, we must admit the fact that saving data (information) alone is not all that it takes to keep it forever! Yes, data saved is not the same as data secured. This means saving data (or information) also requires some level of security.
What is a secured data?
Secured data is any data that is kept out of any threat, physical or electronic damage and is always available when needed by its keeper. This means any data that is said to be secured should be kept away from corruption and any third party who may intend to steal it possibly with the intention of using it in any way or possibly destroying it. Hence storing data with the intention of accessing it in the future is different from securing data for future use.
Data may be saved in so many ways, from local storage to remote storage, offline to online storage, personal to ‘cloud’ among many others. Regardless of the method adopted to store data, there’s always a way and a need to keep it secured. Even the least important personal information stored should never be underestimated when it comes to data security. If stored data gets to the hands of the wrong person, or possibly the unintended group, bad things could happen as you never know what could be done with it.
Plus there are always people who are looking to steal data. It could be any information about a cooperate organization, a business group, a company, an industry or even an individual just to play a dirty game―gaining at the expense of the victim! The truth is, getting sensitive data from an individual that belongs to a group or cooperate body can just be enough to rob the entire group. And this should never be underestimated or taken on a lighter consideration.
More accounts and data breaches in the news
Recently, one of the largest tech writing group, TechCrunch was said to have been hacked and the news suggested this was possible due to the hacker gaining access to a contributing writer’s account based on a weaker password the latter used. Yahoo was hacked, GoToMyPC users’ account information was stolen, some Twitter accounts were hacked. Plus numerous major and minor site attacks recorded over the past years.
In the light of the extent of account stealing cases―be it smaller or larger, the need for data security is still a primary concern. News has it that, 2019 and beyond can be years of even massive data-stealing explosion if steps are not taken to learn from and close the openings that led to the numerous account and data breaching that happened in 2016 and the years before it. For this reason, and many more, data (information) security is very important.
As if that is not enough, there is also the incidence of data destruction and data corruption that lead to data loss. What about this one too? Well, while some hackers may want to steal sensitive data of customers such as credit card details and other useful personal information for monetary purposes, others just love to destroy useful data to undermine companies. For the latter group of hackers, seeing things destroyed is just one fun they love to explore. However funny and weird that may seem to be, trust me, there are always people who just share the pleasure of doing that.
Can we also forget the fact that improper data backup can also result in data insecurity? Yes, it is not always third-party individuals or groups who will destroy others’ information. The fact is: studies suggest that a massive factor of data or information loss (or destruction) is more as a result of the making of the first parties involved other than external making.
This is especially true because the technology adopted in data storage can lead to data loss and that is what most individuals face in today’s world of complex data management. Offline and online data backup, as well as local and remote data management, need to be considered or even reviewed in the context of data security.
With this information in mind, let us now project our discussion into some of the most useful ways of securing our data―both online and offline.
Leave a Reply