What Is Data Classification?
Data classification is the practice of organizing information based on its sensitivity. This practice helps organizations identify and protect their most sensitive data from unauthorized access or attacks by classifying it according to its sensitivity and implementing security controls like access restrictions, encryption, monitoring, etc. Additionally, classification facilitates improved governance and compliance by making tracking and managing access more accessible.
Purpose of Data Classifications
Data classification provides essential insights for risk management, legal discovery, and regulatory compliance processes. It allows organizations to prioritize security measures based on the sensitivity of data. In addition, classification streamlines search and e-discovery processes while increasing user productivity and decision-making capabilities.
Discovering duplicate and outdated data reduces maintenance and storage costs while helping IT teams justify investments in data security by showing the value and risks associated with various data categories.
Why Is Data Classification Essential?
Data classification can be a potent tool that protects valuable information and ensures compliance with various regulatory standards. Let’s explore how data classification can assist with prioritizing security measures and meeting compliance obligations.
Security for Data Storage:
Assess and categorize the types of information you store to understand its sensitivity level, then customize security controls accordingly, ensuring appropriate protection measures are in place.
Acquire knowledge on data access, modification, and deletion permissions allowing better control over data handling. Assess risks associated with data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other threats so you can develop proactive mitigation strategies.
Compliance:
For regulatory compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), data classification helps uphold individual rights while making retrieving specific information easier to comply with data subject access requests.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): By knowing where health records reside, it’s possible to implement targeted security controls to safeguard sensitive healthcare information.
ISO 27001: Classifying data according to value and sensitivity helps organizations meet requirements for preventing unauthorized disclosure or modification.
NIST SP 800-53: Categorizing data allows federal agencies to design IT systems according to security guidelines.
PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard): Data classification enables the identification and secure handling of consumer financial information associated with payment cards.
How to Implement Data Classification?
Implementing Data Classification requires three steps. First, identify all your data assets; this should include structured (like databases) and unstructured data like emails and documents.
Secondly, assess the sensitivities of your data. Once you have identified your data assets, it is necessary to assess the required security controls and their sensitivities to establish them properly.
As soon as you have evaluated the sensitivity of your data, classifying it is a straightforward process. Common categories for categorizing information include
Public data: This category encompasses non-sensitive information which may be shared openly.
Internal Data: Internal data should only be shared within an organization and never disclosed publicly.
Sensitive Data: Sensitive data requires extra protection against unwarranted access by anyone outside.
Lastly, implement security controls. After classifying your data, implement appropriate security controls to secure it – this may include access restrictions, encryption, or monitoring measures. Review and revise it periodically to keep it accurate, especially when your organization changes and your organization is creating new data assets.
Conclusion
Data classification is an effective security measure that can protect organizations’ data from unauthorized access or attacks, using this article’s steps to guide creating of an effective data classification program and keeping their information secure.