The growing number of data loss and information leaks
can be easily prevented if companies pay attention to a few simple
security rules, says Gartner.
The analyst firm has identified five key steps to preventing
public exposure of private data:
Content monitoring and filtering, which will monitor outbound
network traffic to spot any policy violations.
Backup tape encryption. Even though Gartner believes very few
consumer records will have been lost this way, companies cannot
afford to risk exposure of consumer data and should invest in
storage encryption.
Workstation security. There’s no excuse for corporates failing
to protect their office and home workstations and laptops from
viruses or worms.
Laptop encryption. Regardless of company policy, staff will
store sensitive data on laptops, so encryption – preferably
whole-drive encryption – is essential.
Database activity monitoring can limit insider misuse of
database systems and limit some external attacks without affecting
performance.
“Data loss and information leaks are not random acts of nature
too costly to prevent. By following these five steps, enterprises
can dramatically reduce the risk of their valuable structured and
unstructured information ending up in the wrong hands and forcing
an embarrassing public disclosure,” says Gartner research
vice-president Rich Mogull.