‘Data Privacy’: Our Tech Experts Share Their Insights | Part III
February 23, 2024 | Blog
In the digital world, data and information are vital for businesses. It’s like premium fuel or high-value currency that drives your company to function. Data is valuable because it contains confidential details from your clients, customers, and business partners, including sensitive reports and private information about your company.
If your data is mishandled and left unprotected, your company is at stake to be vulnerable and prone to data exploitation. Private sectors, mainly, are the hot targets for cyber attacks from the thieves on the loose, eyeing your precious data and information—the cyber hackers.
Recently, IT Group, Inc., one of the leading IT Solution Partners in the Philippines and ASEAN region, joined the conversation as we celebrated World Data Privacy Day last month. As we continue to spread awareness, our Tech Experts talked about the importance of data privacy and security, especially in business.
Robust Cybersecurity and IT Management Solutions
To Harris Zane, ITG Singapore’s Head of IT Operations & Security, security means and is equivalent to protection. According to Zane, security, or cybersecurity per se, helps companies ensure no leakage of data and information given to unauthorized users, resulting in a smooth flow of business operations. “Essentially, it means that business runs by design with no interruption,” he started.
For the longest time, Zane’s calling has been about security and protection. Zane was a former police officer in Singapore, spending almost a decade of his early career protecting people. Today, from a cop to a cybersecurity thought leader, Zane urges everyone, especially businesses, to invest and prioritize security at all costs as we all want the same thing: to protect our customers’ privacy and secure their data and information through cybersecurity.
“Cybersecurity should be in a business plan from the get-go. It should not be a reactive decision as security isn’t a destination, it’s a journey that requires constant and consistent attention,” he said.
Zane also shared the story as to why many companies and businesses tend to downplay (petty) cyber threats from hackers, explaining that, like any other legitimate business, cyber hackers, too, are part of an organization, solely exist to take advantage of data of many companies and exploit them for their gain.
“There are so many adversaries out there. If you’re employed as an IT [professional], so are your adversaries. They have employers. They have a team. They’re a focused and structured organization. [However], their job is to break into things,” he said. “[Meanwhile], we are on the other side. We’re on the good side. We’re supposed to ensure they remain [them] unsuccessful [to break our security] in that aspect.”
To combat cyber attacks from hackers, Zane shared best practices to have a robust cybersecurity strategy. “From a feature perspective, IT Group, Inc. offers various solutions to ensure data privacy and security, beginning with endpoint protection that covers data loss prevention, encryption, safe browsing, etc. This will ensure data at rest and data in motion are secured,” he said. Zane also added that for an organization to maximize and strengthen cybersecurity, the People, Process, and Technology (PPT) framework is also a key factor in having the full protection of your company’s data. The PPT framework refers to the harmonious flow between people, the process, and the technology you will use.
“So people, as we all know, are the weakest link in terms of cybersecurity, So even having the most advanced technology and the most robust processes, if your people are not educated enough to understand phishing email or a threat that is coming [from] downloading stuff from the internet and connecting to unsecured Wi-Fi, for example, this could potentially render all those two processes and the technology [is] useless because the human will overwrite the robust processes,” he said. “It’s the same with having the best technology and properly trained persons without a robust process. You will crumble down. And lastly, [if] the technology is not there [yet], [but] you have very good people and proper processes, [still] it will also render your organisation vulnerable.”
ManageEngine, one of ITG’s trusted technological partners, offers features to help your business have a robust cybersecurity and comprehensive IT management solution. Zane highlighted some of the best cybersecurity features we offer with ManageEngine. “ITG also partners in implementing Zero Trust processes with privileged access management that secures your password to your prised data and access. Lastly, utilizing our IT service management [to] ensure a robust process eliminating second-guessing,” he ended.
Let’s Venture Together to Promoting Data Privacy and Security
For over 20 years in the industry, ITG has continued to provide excellent customer service to our clients with our technological partners, rallying over the importance of data privacy and security as one of our top priorities in promoting digital transformation. In celebration of World Data Privacy Day last month and its continuous advocacy to spread awareness toward cybersecurity, ITG encourages you and your business to be cyber-ready in this modern time. Learn more about how ITG can elevate and fortify your security and data privacy today.
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