What do you do if your Data Governance career is plagued by constant data breaches?

Navigating a career in Data Governance can be challenging, especially when faced with the daunting task of dealing with constant data breaches. As a professional in this field, your role is critical in ensuring that data within your organization is managed properly and kept secure. Data breaches are not just a technical issue; they can have severe legal, financial, and reputational consequences. It's essential to understand that while you may not be able to prevent every breach, your response and preventive measures can significantly mitigate risks and improve your organization's data security posture.

1 Assess Risk

When you're in the trenches of Data Governance and breaches become a recurring nightmare, the first step is to conduct a thorough risk assessment. This means evaluating what data is most vulnerable and determining the potential impact of a breach on your organization. Understanding where your weaknesses lie is crucial to fortifying your defenses. You should prioritize the protection of sensitive data, such as personal identification information (PII) and intellectual property, which could cause the most damage if compromised.

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Faria S.

Global Black Belt Cybersecurity and Data Governance at Microsoft
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In a Data Governance strategy, knowing your data is a key step to identify what data is sensitive, where it resides (OneDrive, Sharepoint, on Prem...) and the best level of protection required. Depending on the industry, the nature of the sensitive data may change, but financial information like credit card numbers or personal information like name and address would always require strong protection measures. To start your journey, a Risk Assessment before and after is crucial to evaluate your posture, implement the right strategy and implement constant monitoring Data Loss Prevention policies.

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2 Revise Policies

After identifying the risks, you need to scrutinize your current data governance policies. Are they robust enough to prevent future breaches? It's time to revise these policies to address any gaps in your data protection strategy. This includes setting stricter access controls, implementing regular security training for staff, and establishing clear protocols for data handling and storage. Remember, policies are only as good as their enforcement, so ensure that compliance is monitored and non-adherence is dealt with promptly.

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3 Upgrade Systems

With risks assessed and policies revised, it's imperative to upgrade your systems and infrastructure to bolster security. This could involve investing in more advanced cybersecurity software, employing encryption methods for data at rest and in transit, and ensuring that all systems are regularly updated to protect against the latest threats. An outdated system is a vulnerable one, so staying current with technological advancements is a key aspect of maintaining a secure data governance framework.

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4 Incident Response

In the event of a data breach, having an effective incident response plan is crucial. This plan should outline the steps to be taken immediately after a breach is detected, such as isolating affected systems, notifying stakeholders, and beginning an investigation. Quick action can limit damage and help in understanding the breach's cause. It's also important to communicate transparently with affected parties, as trust is vital in data governance roles.

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5 Educate Staff

One of the most overlooked aspects of data governance is staff education. Human error often leads to breaches, so regular training sessions are essential to keep everyone aware of their role in data security. Your staff should be familiar with the latest phishing tactics and social engineering scams. By fostering a culture of security awareness, you can create an environment where every employee acts as a vigilant guardian of the organization's data.

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Faria S.

Global Black Belt Cybersecurity and Data Governance at Microsoft
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User is the weakest part in the cybersecurity protection chain. Educating end users is therefore very important to make sure to have a good data security hygiene and avoid basic, but costly mistakes such as a weak password, or an accidental data leakage by connecting with personal credentials or using unmanaged devices while dealing with sensitive data.

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6 Continuous Improvement

Finally, constant improvement is the name of the game in Data Governance. This means regularly reviewing and updating your strategies to adapt to new threats. It involves staying informed about the latest data security trends and regulations, and being proactive rather than reactive. Continuous improvement also includes learning from past breaches to avoid similar incidents in the future. Think of it as an ongoing cycle of assessment, adjustment, and advancement in your data governance practices.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Faria S.

Global Black Belt Cybersecurity and Data Governance at Microsoft
Report contribution
Relying on secure cloud providers, making sure to have "good" backups, align with cybersecurity vendors strategy, upgrades both devices and OS to match with supported versions...

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What do you do if your Data Governance career is plagued by constant data breaches?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Assess Risk

2 Revise Policies

3 Upgrade Systems

4 Incident Response

5 Educate Staff

6 Continuous Improvement

7 Here’s what else to consider

Data Governance

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What do you do if your Data Governance career is plagued by constant data breaches?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess Risk

2 Revise Policies

3 Upgrade Systems

4 Incident Response

5 Educate Staff

6 Continuous Improvement

7 Here’s what else to consider

Data Governance

Rate this article

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