Not all data is created equal. Sensitive customer records require stricter protection than marketing campaign data. This is where automated data classification comes in. It's the process of identifying and labelling data based on its sensitivity, ensuring appropriate data security measures are applied.
Why Data Classification Matters
Data breaches can be costly and damaging but not all breaches involve stolen data. Sometimes, sensitive information is simply misplaced or accessed by unauthorized personnel due to a lack of classification. Here's why classifying data is essential:
- Enhanced Security: Classification helps you prioritize security efforts. Sensitive data receives the strongest protection, minimizing risk.
- Improved Compliance: Regulations like PoPIA or PCI-DSS mandate data classification for specific data types. Classification helps ensure compliance.
- Streamlined Access Control: By understanding data sensitivity, you can set appropriate access permissions, ensuring only authorized users can view specific data.
Pathlock and Satori: Automated Data Classification
Several solutions can help you organize your data. Here's how Pathlock and Satori approach automated data discovery and classification:
Pathlock
Pathlock emphasizes automation and integration with ERP, CRM and IAM tools. It offers features like:
- Automated Data Discovery: Automatically identify and classify data across your systems, saving manual effort
- Policy-Based Classification: Establish pre-defined rules to automatically classify data based on its content or location.
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Contextual Data Analysis: Machine-Learning uses data relationships and user behaviour to identify potentially sensitive data
Satori
Satori focuses on user-friendly classification across your analytics landscape, on-premise and in the cloud. Here are some strengths:
- Data Store Discovery: Discover and protect all data stores combatting "shadow IT" systems and uncontrolled data access with automated rules and policies
- Dynamic Mapping: Continually detect and classify sensitive data to maintain a current inventory
- Data Security Policies: Centrally set and apply access policies and apply across all systems without writing code.
Classifying for Clarity
Classifying data is a critical step towards data security. By implementing a solution like Pathlock or Satori, you can gain control over your data landscape, prioritize security measures, and ensure compliance with regulations. Remember, classifying data is an ongoing process, requiring continuous monitoring and refinement for optimal effectiveness.
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