From identifying trends in consumer behaviour to predicting the success of marketing campaigns and shedding a spotlight on further avenues for opportunity and revenue, data is now being recognised as one of the most valuable resources available to an organisation. Being more available to those wishing to collect and analyse it than ever before, organisations of all sizes are realising the suite of use cases available to those wishing to become truly data driven.
As the data landscape continues to evolve and shift, presenting challenges to enterprises at any scale, new approaches have been developed as a necessary solution. These approaches seek to streamline complex frameworks and automate manual process to truly empower datasets. The most innovative, and most recent, of these approaches is DataSecOps.
Introducing DataSecops
Changing how we interact with, access, share, and manage data, the DataSecOps mindset is responsible for shifting data-centric processes integral to many global organisations – moving them towards a collaborative and streamlined approach.
With a wealth of advantages available for those wishing to update their current, inefficient processes, DataSecOps is slowly being recognised as the solution to many integral data challenges that enterprises encounter daily. From ensuring compliance with a wide range of data privacy regulations to enhancing consistent security to protect sensitive data, a DataSecOps mindset can be incredibly valuable to any data-driven enterprise.
However, as DataSecOps mindsets begin to become more commonplace, challenges threaten the widespread adoption of the beneficial practices available. Below, we discuss the core challenges facing the adoption of DataSecOps, and how they can be successfully navigated.
The need for a shared responsibility for securing sensitive data
As DataSecOps empowers teams to work collaboratively and introduce new processes to streamline data access and use, more emphasis should be placed on security than ever before. With sensitive data being accessed by a variety of teams simultaneously, the risk of data exposure and inconsistence is great.
While security is one of the core priorities of DataSecOps, businesses must actively communicate the responsibilities of each and every team member to ensure compliance to data privacy regulations are maintained. As a result, personally identifiable information remains sheltered and well-protected, reducing the chances for malevolent access or greater consequences.
In a collaborative framework, communication and awareness is needed
With DataSecOps encouraging a collaborative approach between teams such as key stakeholders, IT, Security, Marketing, and Sales, more awareness than ever should be placed on ensuring that procedures are consistent and clearly communicated.
A lack of consistency can present many issues to such a communicative, collaboration-based framework. Primarily, data quality will deplete, and overall confidence in results gained will suffer. Both directly impact and jeopardise any insights gained, consequentially lessening the efficacy of strategies and decisions derived from data.
With an emphasis on communication, all internal teams involved are aware of the correct procedures that must be followed in order to maintain compliance with data protection regulations, as well as ensuring that all data-driven insights gained are high-quality and reliable.
Orchestration of multiple PETs
Traditionally, as businesses sought to maintain compliance with data privacy regulations from varying regions, they adopted an ever-increasing range of Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETS). From homomorphic encryption to differential privacy, the suite of PETs available for integration is vast, with each promising greater functions to increase data privacy.
However, as data regulations evolve, choosing how best to integrate PETs, or which to select, can be a core challenge to enterprises. One PET alone can demand significant resources such as computational power and time to work effectively.
A clearly communicated DataSecOps approach should allow for the clear orchestration and aggregation of multiple PETs for seamless use, allowing teams to intuitively choose and deploy any PET needed easily and responsively.
The presumed need for technical experience
Another core challenge that DataSecOps currently faces is the presumed need for technical experience. Due to its core functions surrounding orchestrating multiple PETs, ensuring universal compliance, and encouraging collaboration and governance between data and enterprises, many falsely believe that DataSecOps can only be achieved with significant technical prowess and experience.
However, this is far from the reality. As DataSecOps aims to empower a smarter way to access, share, and utilise secure data, more emphasis than ever before is placed on reducing the possibility of human error or other risks potentially revealing sensitive information.
To overcome this challenge, a great part of discussions concerning DataSecOps seeks to highlight the essential need for processes and frameworks to be clearly communicated and easily executed.
As a result, any team – from marketing to sales to HR – can interact with stored data with full confidence, knowing that they aren’t threatening the security of stored data in the process.
Learn how eXate’s DataSecOps platform empowers enterprises
With responsive and easy to use tools, our DataSecOps platform ensures universal data privacy alongside streamlined governance controls. With an emphasis on securing sensitive information to prevent unauthorised access and sharing, our platform is accessible, secure, and enterprise-ready.
To learn more about our universal data privacy platform, why not request a free demonstration? Alternatively, you can contact us with any questions or enquiries you may have. We always aim to respond as soon as possible.