Short answer: Hackers continuously find new ways to attack company data. That’s why effective data protection is about more than just IT security. This blog guides you through key principles such as data minimisation, access control, and risk assessment. With the right tools and processes, businesses can safeguard their data. This includes personal data—so in addition to protecting information, you also strengthen GDPR compliance and build trust with both customers and employees.
Data is the new gold
Data is now the backbone of most companies – but new technologies, cyber threats, and geopolitical tensions make it harder than ever to protect it. One of the key challenges is that security standards are constantly evolving – what was considered safe yesterday may already be outdated today. Unfortunately, hackers continue to develop new methods for breaching corporate IT security. That’s why I believe it’s time to rethink the strategy for data protection, especially when it comes to high-value information like personal data.
In this blog, I’ll explore why data protection matters, which areas you should focus on, how to safeguard data effectively, and how software can be a powerful ally in that process.
Did you know that rapid response to data breaches can minimise long-term damages and costs associated with customer churn and lost trust?
- www.ponemon.org
Why is data protection important?
Data protection is important for several reasons:
- Confidentiality: For businesses, data protection is critical to protect trade secrets, sensitive information and intellectual property. Misuse or leakage of this information can have serious consequences.
- Privacy: Data protection is essential to ensure the individual’s right to privacy. When processing personal information, it is important to respect and protect the confidentiality of that information to prevent misuse or unauthorised access.
- Compliance: Many countries have legislation in place that requires the protection of personal information and punishes breaches of data protection rules. Complying with these laws is not only a legal requirement, but also an ethical obligation.
- Trust: By demonstrating commitment to data protection, companies build trust with their customers, partners and stakeholders. Trust is essential for maintaining successful relationships and long-term business partnerships.
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What should you do to protect your data?
No matter how strong your company’s data security may be, hackers will likely find a way in sooner or later. We’ve seen it time and again: cybercrime is constantly evolving, and attackers are becoming both more creative and more systematic in their methods. That’s why modern IT security isn’t just about keeping threats out – it’s just as much about minimising the damage when (not if) someone gets in.
This calls for an important shift in mindset: companies need to think of data protection as a matter of “cleaning up after themselves.” If attackers do gain access, they shouldn’t be able to find the most valuable assets – the sensitive data – lying around unprotected in your systems. The key is to remove those values – primarily by reducing the amount of sensitive data you hold. When such information is not available or is securely managed, there’s far less for attackers to steal, exploit, or use as leverage.
In short: solid IT security starts by accepting that breaches can happen – and ensuring they’re not catastrophic when they do.
FAQ on data protection
What’s the difference between data security and data protection?
Data security focuses on preventing unauthorised access and data loss, while data protection also covers legal and ethical aspects such as consent and purpose limitation.
Who is responsible for data protection in a company?
Management holds the overall responsibility, but every employee plays a role in handling personal data correctly in their daily work.
How can data protection be improved?
In addition to having strong IT security, companies should be prepared for the moment hackers manage to breach their systems. That’s why it’s essential to identify where your valuable data is stored – and reduce the amount of it by either securing it out of reach or deleting it altogether.
Start your privacy cleanup with the big picture
A GDPR Risk Assessment gives you a complete overview of files containing privacy risk in your company.
How we can help protect data
Data protection isn’t just about keeping hackers out – it’s also about removing the valuables they’re after. At Safe Online, we’ve developed DataMapper: a tool that can locate, delete, and minimise the amount of sensitive data that’s left lying around. In doing so, we help companies reduce their data risk and protect both their business and the individuals whose data they store.
Learn more on how to protect data
- Choose the right storage method
- Implement a best practise approach to manage data
- Efficient and secure data collection
- Learn about data hygiene
- Make sure to setup data access control
- Understand the benefits and risks of cloud storage
- Learn the difference to structured data compared to unstructured data
- Gain an overview of your data and protect it with data mapping
- Find and protect specific files with data discovery
- Discover the difference between data processor and data controller
Sebastian Allerelli
Founder & COO at Safe Online
Sebastian is the co-founder and COO of Safe Online, where he focuses on automating processes and developing innovative solutions within data protection and compliance. With a background from Copenhagen Business Academy and experience within identity and access management, he has a keen understanding of GDPR and data security. As a writer on Safe Online's Knowledge Hub, Sebastian shares his expertise through practical advice and in-depth analysis that help companies navigate the complex GDPR landscape. His posts combine technical insight with business understanding and provide concrete solutions for effective compliance.
