7 GDPR Compliance Software You Need For 2025
Facts first, Data is important. In fact, it’s a necessary part of every organisation, large or small. In today’s world, almost every nation and industry has established regulations for data protection and security. To prevent landing on the wrong side of such laws, you need to ensure 100% compliance.In this blog, you can expect a brief overview of the GDPR and top GDPR compliance software you’ll definitely need in 2025. Quick Recap: What’s the GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation came into existence in 2018 and has since earned its reputation. It is by far the most respected data protection regulation in the world. As a matter of fact, it served as the template for most of the data protection laws around the world. For instance, the NDPA holds several similarities with the GDPR so much that the major difference between the two is the scope of application. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates organisations that fall under the following categories to have absolute compliance. operating in the EU. handling data of an EU citizen (no matter where it’s located) has a branch in the EU Does the GDPR apply to your organization? Find out at Johans Consults. The 7 GDPR principles At the core of the GDPR, there are 7 principles every company needs to follow. They are; Integrity and confidentiality You must employ every means necessary to protect data from unauthorised access, processing, damage, or accidental loss. So, you need a reliable data security system. Lawfulness, Fairness, and Transparency You cannot collect data for just any reason. So, whatever purpose you have must be lawful. Also, the data collection process must be transparent and legal. For instance, you cannot buy personal information from a third party. You need to get the data directly from the data subject itself. Also, you MUST tell the data owner the reason for the collection. Note: This reason must be stated clearly. Know how to write a GDPR consent statement. Purpose Limitation. As an organisation, you can’t just collect data for one reason and process it for several others. Once you’ve used the data for the purposes stated beforehand, you cannot make use of it. again. Although, if the need arises, you should inform the data subjects and seek their consent again. Data Minimisation This principle states that you cannot keep every single piece of information you collect. For example, when you collect data through the filling of forms, you’re mandated to keep the ones important to the cause only. The Ultimate GDPR Compliance Checklist for you Accuracy Your organisation must not store incorrect information. Every inaccuracy must be corrected with immediate effect. Accountability The GDPR holds every organisation accountable for what they do with users’ data and its safety. Also, you need to prove your compliance with the data protection regulation through proper records. Storage Limitation You can only keep data for a limited period of time. The duration depends on the type of data and its sensitivity. For example, you can store financial data for up to 6 years, but health-related data is more limited. Learn about the Top 12 GDPR Requirements. So, What is GDPR Compliance Software? Now that you understand the basics of the GDPR, you must know that compliance isn’t an easy task. Often times, a lot of organisations don’t even know where to begin. Neither do they know how to achieve maximum compliance. That’s where GDPR compliance software comes in. These softwares are the several tools that assist businesses towards GDPR compliance. Today, these tools come with different functionalities. Some simply record compliance activity, while the advanced others provide audits, reports on data breaches, consent management, and find weaknesses in your compliance strategy using gap analysis. To narrow down your search, we’ve compiled the top GDPR compliance software for you. Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager This is great GDPR compliance software made for Microsoft365 users. To use it, you’ll need An Office 365 E5 license. The features include; Ability to conduct several assessments Ability to identify and protect sensitive data Protects against unauthorised access Implements data minimisation and storage limitations Protects against accidental disclosure Classifies data based on the level of sensitivity Deletes data after a specified period of time Netwrix Netwrix supports organisations with GDPR compliance through its Auditor and related tools. Here are some of its remarkable features. Data Discovery and Classification: Netwrix finds, classifies, and protects sensitive personal data in accordance with the GDPR. Also, it scans on-premises and cloud-based systems to pinpoint where personal data is stored and ensures that there are controls to secure it. Security of Processing: Netwrix provides a clear picture of how data is accessed and shared. By monitoring user behaviour and detecting unauthorised access, it ensures secure personal data processing. Breach Notification: Netwrix is GDPR compliance software with data breach alerts. The software aids in quick detection of data breaches by reporting them. Audit and Reporting: Netwrix Auditor provides detailed auditing and reporting capabilities. This includes logs of data access, data modification, and user activities, which are crucial for demonstrating accountability. Not sure if you’re compliant with the GDPR? Contact us at Johans Consults for a detailed assessment. TrustArc This here is complete with all GDPR-oriented solutions to help every business plan, implement and even update their GDPR compliance practices. It’s main functions are: Reporting to regulator Monitoring compliance And recording processed activities. Snow software Snow Software is a GDPR risk assessment solution available on cloud, mobile, or on-premise. Below are some of its remarkable features. GDPR Risk Assessment: Snow Software identifies applications and devices that handle personal data and notes those with weak protections, e.g., encryption or anti-virus. Continuous Monitoring and Reporting: Snow’s solution keeps constant analysis of applications that process personal data and generates reports to help mitigate risks. Internal Threat Mitigation: The software focuses on reducing internal threats, such as corrupt employee actions and unsecure applications. To do so, the software flags risky devices and users. Comprehensive Asset Management: Snow also offers broad IT asset management features like license compliance tracking and software usage meters. So, you
Top 7 Data Security Technologies
As a business, you will collect data. In fact, it’s more than necessary for proper growth. You’ll need it for a tonne of reasons, like managing customer relationships, marketing, recording transactions, and several others. While data is extremely valuable, it can be a wrecking ball for your business—only if you don’t take strong and purposeful steps to secure it. Amongst the massive amounts of data your organisation collects, a lot are sensitive and personal. These make your business a sitting target for hackers and cybercriminals. While a cyberattack is unvoidable for businesses—statistics show that each organisation averages 1363 cyberattacks per week—you can prevent a successful data breach. With the appropriate data security technologies, you get to secure your business against cybercrimes. What is data security? Before we go into data security technologies, let’s go over the concept of data security. Data security is the entire process an organisation goes through to secure its data from data breaches. Often times, data security, data protection, and cybersecurity are mistaken for the same. Why? Their primary goal is to safeguard data. The danger to data lies beyond cyberattacks. Think of it this way: while cyberattacks are external efforts to compromise data, there are internal threats to it—loss and mishandling by the organisation’s own staff. So, data protection is the method to safeguard data from loss, compromise, or mishandling (insider threats). Data security defends data against threats to its confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Now, cybersecurity concerns the protection of data and assets such as software, hardware, computer systems, mobile phones, connection devices, etc. So, with cybersecurity, you also secure every device used to collect, process, or store sensitive data. What is the importance of data security? The most important reason why organisations go out of their way to secure data is for compliance. Nowadays, countries around the world have established data security laws and regulations, and these laws impose hefty fines on noncompliant organisations. Whether your business loses its customers’s data to cyberattacks or mishandling, you will be held responsible for the problem. Here’s what you’re in for: Compliance with data regulations is not the only reason to ensure data security. There’s the reputational damage your business will suffer. Since you need your customers to trust your brand, your business may never recover from such a blow. Asides the customer’s data you hold, data security prevents your company’s core data—employee and customer records, sales and purchase invoices, and digital materials—from breaches. So, with the right data security technologies, you can ensure these are safe. Data Security Technologies Do you understand what data security’s all about? Let’s move on to the data security technologies you can use. The technologies you implement depend on various factors, such as the type of data your business works with, the tools and infrastructure you use, and the structure of your organisation. Top 7 Data Security Technologies You Can Use First is the identification and classification of data. You can’t possibly defend what you don’t know, hence the identification. What kind of data do you hold? What type of data do you handle on behalf of others? Are they names, bank details, religious beliefs, or others?. Answering those questions will reveal the identity of your data correctly. On to data classification. Now that you know your data, the next step is to check what category it falls under. The nature of data is best determined by the data security regulations available. For instance, the GDPR sets its own features for different categories of data; likewise, the NDPA. The NDPA describes sensitive data as “personal data relating to an individual’s “genetic and biometric data, for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person; race or ethnic origin; religious or similar beliefs, Once you’ve identified and classified the data, you can now decide on the best data security technologies to use for it. User Authentication and Authorisation Authentification and authorisation are the most visible technologies available. Almost everyone’s familiar with them. Authentification means that you verify the person trying to access the system is who they say they are. For this, we have usernames and passwords (with multifactor authentication) or an API key for programmatic access. Hardware security uses biometrics, built-in two-factor authentication, and secure enclave technology built into the processor itself. Authorisation checks whether the person has permission to access a particular file or resource. You must ensure your authentication methods only allow the people you want into your systems. Also, regular updates to access policies must be made. Data Encryption Encryption is known as one of the most reliable ways to secure data. Data encryption uses an algorithm that scrambles data so it becomes unreadable without the decryption key. It provides an extra layer of protection beyond access control because even if data’s stolen, it can’t be read. While this gives added security, you must keep the decryption key safe. Without the key, even you cannot read the data. Data encryption is one of the go-to data security technologies for when data is at rest or in transit. Data Backup Besides access control, you need to consider backing up your data. This helps you recover your data in case of loss or compromise. How to do that? It’s best you have at least 3 copies of your data in different physical locations; that way, you’re 10 steps ahead of a hardware failure. If you use cloud storage, keep a copy on another platform so your data is safe even if you can’t access the primary platform. By making exact copies of your data and keeping it in a secure place where it can be accessed by authorised persons only, you minimise risks. However, ensure you provide maximum protection for the backups, just like the original copy. And conduct regular updates to ensure it’s integrity. Data Masking Masking works by replacing certain parts of data with meaningless characters to make it unreadable. For example, replace all but the last few digits of a credit card number with asterisks. That way, the data gives
The Importance of Cybersecurity Services in Modern Organisations
Introduction In this new age of digital transformation, individuals and organisations are more connected than ever before. The internet provides a safe place for entities to communicate and conduct businesses with an easy backdrop. While it’s a welcome development, it comes with several unpalatable consequences. The importance of cybersecurity services comes in due to the huge target on organisations and persons by unethical people. In this article, I’ll take you through the exact reasons why cybersecurity is important in modern organisations. What is cybersecurity? Cybersecurity is the entire process by which organisations protect their systems (computers), storage devices, and important tools—sensitive data included—from external threats to their functionality. Often times it’s regarded as the same as data security, which isn’t exactly right. While cybersecurity focusses on the protection of sensitive data and all hardware and software in the organisation, data security simply means data protection from external threats. Purpose of Cyberattacks There would be no need for cybersecurity if there wasn’t an enemy to keep out. Cyberattacks are the enemies. The technological advancement of the world gives such attacks enough ammunition to strike at the heart of organizations. In the second quarter of 2024 alone, checkpoint research recorded a 30% increase in the occurrence of cyberattacks globally. To better understand this statistic, just know that cyberattacks average 1636 hits per week for each organization. Now, to the worse fact, no industry is left out of the onslaught. So, imagine your little, medium, or large business taking wave after wave of attacks without a shield system in place. Let’s do an overview of cyberattacks so you can understand what you’re up against. 5 Most Common Cyberattacks Cybercrime is defined as any unauthorised activity that includes network, computer, and any other device. Now, cyber threats are classified into 3 categories: These are the common cyberattacks below. Malware: This threat takes the form of malicious software, hence the term malware. Malware is an umbrella term for viruses, worms, spyware, and ransomwares. These types of cyberattacks stop access to your computer and interrupt the entire system. In fact, malware can subtly transfer information from your storage. Phishing: phishing is the most common form of cyberattacks. In 2022 alone, 84% of organisations were the target of at least one phishing attempt. Like the name suggests, cybercriminals “fish” for sensitive and personal data of victims with false emails that impersonate a trusted source. E.g., an email from a bank that asks for credit card details to correct one or more issues with the client’s account. Also, some also install malware. Man-in-the-middle attack: here, cybercriminals, i.e., hackers, squeeze themselves into an online transaction between two people. Denial of service: For this type of cyberattack, hackers overwhelm a computer and network with “handshake” processes. Eventually the network breaks down and users are unable to access it. Trojan: This form of attack imitates the famous Trojan horse. Cybercriminals present malicious software under the guise of a “harmless” file. Afterwards, the malware establishes itself as a channel for them to attack the system. So, what is the importance of cybersecurity services? If you’re a business owner still contemplating the importance of cybersecurity, here are reasons to consider an investment in cybersecurity. The Sheer Amount of Cyberattacks On average, 30,000 websites are hacked daily; a company gets attacked every 39 seconds, and an estimate of 60% of organisations have experienced a data breach. With these statistics in mind, the chances that your organisation will be exempt are extremely low. As a matter of fact, the right question isn’t “if” but “when.”. Now, the number of attacks as a problem can be solved with just any security measure. But their complexity makes it even worse. Cyber threats take various forms and require different types of cybersecurity measures to combat them. Financial Implications According to the bureau statistics, financial losses to cybercrimes come close to $12.5 billion in 2022. This proves the validity of cybersecurity in today’s world. Apart from the money cybercriminals loot, organisations part ways with another massive amount of money to rectify whatever damage they—criminals—caused. For instance, data subjects might file a lawsuit against the company in accordance with data laws like the NDPA. Also, the fortification of the initial channels breached cuts a huge hole in the business’ pockets. Reputational Damage. Would you trust a partner who betrayed you? Would you place money in an investment known to constantly fail? And would you walk the path infested with bandits?. Most likely, you answered no to the questions.The consequences of a successful data breach include loss of customer trust. As a matter of fact, some businesses never recover from the reputational damage of a cyberattack. Thus, the importance of cybersecurity services shines through. As a business, the implementation of a strong cybersecurity system will prevent this situation in the first place. In addition to the major importance of cybersecurity services, here are some other advantages of cybersecurity services. Boosts productivity: A solid cybersecurity system reduces the downtime caused by data breaches. Therefore, productivity levels go up. Encourages remote workspace: Many organisations shy away from remote work modes due to their vulnerable nature. But, with cybersecurity, the risks are minimal. GDPR compliance: Cybersecurity encourages compliance with data protection laws like the GDPR, NDPA, etc. since it encompasses the protection of personal data. Disadvantages of Cybersecurity Services Cybersecurity also comes with downsides. Some of which are mentioned below: Regular updates: The constant evolving nature of cyberthreats does not permit a stagnant cybersecurity system. As the threats evolve, so does cybersecurity, which needs regular updates—an outdated system = cyberattack channel. Complex set-up: To set up cybersecurity, organisations need qualified personnel certified in cybersecurity. Constant monitoring: Cybersecurity needs to be checked and enhanced regularly so as to discover chinks in the system. Cost: Considering the shortage of talents and the cybersecurity tools required, the total cost of implementing cybersecurity is expensive. As a result, many organisations forgo it. Conclusion Prioritizing cybersecurity is no longer optional but a necessity for sustainable business operations. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures helps protect sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, prevent financial loss, and preserve the company’s reputation.
6 Cybersecurity Tools You Should Know
Experts in the information security industry make use of cybersecurity tools to defend against threats to data. In this article, you’ll get an overview of cybersecurity, why it’s necessary and the top 9 tools to ensure security in an organization. What are cybersecurity tools? Cybersecurity tools have one primary purpose: to identify potential security risks to data and assets. Considering the high rate of cyber insecurity, such tools are a necessity for organizations and individuals alike. These tools ensure that organizations are at least one step ahead of the opposition since they send alerts of potential risks in real-time. Some tools take it a step further; in addition to the identification and assessment of risks, they also protect against identity theft, password trafficking, and other cybercrimes. Basically, cybersecurity tools are used to protect an organization, data, network, systems, and intellectual property from cyber threats. Overview of Cybersecurity Cybersecurity, although different, is sometimes called data security. It is the process by which organizations protect their networks, computer systems, and other devices against external threats. There are different types of cybersecurity: network security and application security. Often times, people mistake the terms cybersecurity and data security for each other. However similar they are, there are still major differences. Data security encompasses all procedures for the protection of data directly, while cybersecurity protects the sensitive information, the computer system, and every other device that can access it. Still confused? It’s simple: data security is a type of cybersecurity that safeguards data only. Why is cybersecurity important? Every business, organization, and what have you thrive on the importance of data. Further made important by the digital era we’re in now, data faces constant threats to its integrity. The relationship between organizations and data makes the former a sitting target for cybercriminals. According to Forbes, cyberattacks on organizations increased steadily in recent years. Why don’t businesses just fight back? Cyberattacks constantly change their mode of attack, and they employ technologies beyond what organizations can handle. So, businesses must use several technologies to protect their hardware and software from data breaches. Now, cybersecurity saves the day! Businesses are free from the financial and reputational costs of a successful data breach. Check here for the importance of data security. Top cybersecurity tools you should know. Starting a business is a tedious yet exciting process. You have to conduct market analysis, kickstart production, and push digital marketing. In all of these, cybersecurity ranks low on the to-do list of many entrepreneurs. Probably it’s the complex nature, or they just don’t know how. To help you achieve maximum cybersecurity, here are the top cybersecurity tools you’ll need for your business. Network security monitoring tools These tools are used to identify external threats to the organization’s network. By using network monitoring software, a network can be assessed for chinks in its system and potential risks are identified. Besides that, through the evaluation of past data, these tools can detect threats from inside the organization. Network monitoring tools give a bird’s eye view of the network, devices connected, and the general flow of data. Below are some types of network monitoring protocols. ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol): Routers, servers, and other network devices use the Internet Control Message Protocol to send IP operations information and generate messages when devices fail. SNMP (The Simple Network Management Protocol): This protocol checks the status of devices such as switches and printers and can be used to watch the status and configuration of systems. ThousandEyes Synthetics: An internet-aware synthetic monitoring system that detects problems in the performance of modern networked applications. Vulnerability scanners To get a clear picture of how to fight, organizations must clarify the nature of threats. Vulnerability scanners help figure out the kinds of vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure. They scan websites, dissect the files, and expose the chinks found. These help organizations reduce the cost of compliance with data security laws, amongst others. Some examples of cybersecurity scanners are: GFI Languard: This type of vulnerability scanner is for network and web applications. It can send patches across web browsers, operating systems, and third-party applications. Tripwire IP360: A scanning tool that can scan the entire environment of an organization, including assets discovered previously. some other examples are: Acunetix and Nessus. Encryption Tools Encryption tools play a vital role in safeguarding personal and sensitive data from unauthorized access. These tools scramble up data such that it makes no sense, rendering it unreadable and thus safe from unauthorized persons. Meanwhile, the intended recipient can read it but once it’s in transit or storage, it reverts to the unreadable state. Some examples of encryption algorithms used are: Triple DES RSA TwoFish Advance encryption standard (AES) Firewalls Hardly can you say you’ve never heard of firewalls, even when you don’t know exactly what it means. Sci-fi movies ensure their fans know a bit about fire walls. Firewalls are cybersecurity tools that monitor the flow of data in and out of a network. It prevents unauthorized users from accessing a private network—more like its name, Fire Wall. Using a set of predetermined requirements, firewalls act as filters for data packets and block packets that don’t meet security requirements. There are different types but these are the 3 common types of firewalls. Packet filter: This is the most basic type of firewall cybersecurity experts use. It scrutinizes the packets exchanged between computers based on a provided list. The list contains the criteria with which packets be investigated, rejected, or accepted. This type of firewall is outdated and no longer guarantees concrete cybersecurity. Connection tracking: Connection tracking firewalls, also called second generation firewalls, work similarly to the first generation. This type of firewall records the port number the IP address uses to receive and send information. So, the exchange of data is monitored in addition to the packet content. Application/layer 7: Application firewalls are more intense than the packet filter and connection tracking types. They identify non-standard ports and toxic applications thanks to their ability to understand various applications. Such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
The 7 Types of Cybersecurity You Must Know in 2024
What are the types of cybersecurity? Cybersecurity is so important that it can’t be overemphasized. According to Forbes, in 2023, there were 2365 cyberattacks with approximately 343,000,000 victims. How does that affect your organization? A large percentage of the cyber attacks reported were aimed at businesses—small, medium, and large. Actually, 71% of Nigerian businesses faced ransomware attacks in 2021. So, you need to take cybersecurity seriously for your organization’s sake. In this article, you’ll learn the different types of cybersecurity in 2024. What is Cybersecurity All About? Cybersecurity is the necessary process of shielding an organization in its entirety from cyberattacks. In recent times, there has been a rapid growth in the number of cyberattacks on organizations. To further complicate matters, businesses have a hard time fighting back. Some of the factors affecting the strength of the counterattacks are: Remote work: the era of brick-and-mortar work has long since passed and a new work mode has taken over. In fact, the majority of companies at one point or another employed the services of remote workers. An important enabler is the internet, which makes it easier for cyberattacks to take root. Sophisticated attacks: cyberattacks have evolved from what they used to be into a more complex and organized structure. They now operate with better technology, the likes of which most organizations aren’t prepared against. Complex environment: cybersecurity would’ve been more effective if only modern corporate networks worked on just one environment. Instead, it spans over multiple cloud environments and infrastructures. The results of cyberattacks can be devastating. Such breaches lead to loss of intellectual property and customer trust, in addition to the financial and reputational costs. That aside, there’s the matter of identity theft, fraud, and targeted attacks that follow data breaches. Bottomline is that every organization needs to up their cybersecurity game. What Are the Types of Cybersecurity? To effectively battle against cyber threats, you need to understand the different types of cybersecurity. There are basically 7 broad categories, which are: Network Security Of the types of cybersecurity, this is the first line of defense. Network security involves securing the channels of communication between computers in an organization. Since most attacks happen over the internet, it makes the most sense to secure that angle first. First, we have the basic methods of network security, which are encryption, implementing firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. Second, there are access control solutions like identity access management (IAM) and data loss prevention (DLP). Additionally, there are more advanced network security solutions, for example, NGAV (Next Generation Antivirus), sandboxing, and IPS (Intrusion Prevention System). Application Security Otherwise known as cloud security, this type of cybersecurity involves protecting the applications, devices, and infrastructure of an organization against attacks. To do that, a cloud security strategy must be implemented. Sure, cloud providers give security to an extent, but third-party security solutions will still be necessary to provide all-round application security. Mobile Security Data is stored on several devices, mobile devices included. Most times, mobile security is overlooked, which shouldn’t happen. With the constant increase in the use of mobile devices (tablets, smartphones, etc.) to access corporate data, it is important that this end is secured. Mobile security, among the types of cybersecurity, protects against cybercrimes and secures operating systems from jailbreaking and rooting. One solution is to use a mobile device management solution to grant access to authorized mobile devices only. End-user Education The types of cybersecurity list isn’t complete without the end users education. Organizations should raise proper awareness amongst their staff and other individuals about the importance of cybersecurity. Regular training programs will get the job done. Operational Security This is basically the implementation of policies and procedures to ensure proper security of systems and networks. Under this umbrella, regular assessments of existing cybersecurity systems and upgrading where necessary are covered. Also, regular employee training on best security practices in addition to establishing incident-response plans is included. Data Security As has been noted, data security is different from cybersecurity. Data security includes all methods used to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of important information from external threats. Such methods include encryption, access controls, and backup systems to prevent unauthorized access, loss, and compromise. Note: Importance of Data Security Critical Infrastructure Security. This is straight to the point. It is everything you can do to protect the computer system in your organization. This includes all technologies, processes, etc. you use to ensure the systems continue to work properly. Data security vs. Cybersecurity Often times, cybersecurity is mistaken for data security. Although they are used interchangeably, they aren’t the same. Data security includes methods by which data (personal) is protected from loss, compromise, or threats, while cybersecurity guards all the digital networks and systems used to collect, transit, process, and store data. For example, if you run a healthcare facility for HIV/AIDS patients, for records-keeping, you’ll definitely collect and store a ton of sensitive information like patients names, medical status, home address, etc. Now, the methods you employ, e.g., encryption, tokenization, etc., to protect them from external threats are data security. Also, you’ll need to secure the computer and every other hardware used to input and store the data from unauthorized access, hence cybersecurity. In summary, data security is a type of cybersecurity. Conclusion In present times (2024), understanding the different types of cybersecurity is beyond important for proper data protection from ever-evolving threats. By implementing all-round security measures, from network and data security to end-user education, businesses can safeguard their systems, data, and reputation. At Johan Consults, we help you achieve maximum security for your data and assets. Contact us for a free initial consultation.
Top Data Security Certifications that Can Improve Your Career
The world is at a revolutionary point. Gone are the days when transactions always happened physically; now, every activity occurs online. Presently, you can meet new people, explore lands you haven’t visited, pay bills, and conduct business all on the internet. In the midst of all these, data is the crux. So professionals who know how to protect data in compliance with data protection laws are needed. In this article, the value of data security certifications is explained. Also, you learn about the top 7 certifications. Importance of Data Security With the spike in internet activities comes an increase in the generation and exchange of data. This value spells doom in the wrong hands. In the 1st quarter of 2024 alone, the number of data breach casualties in the U.S. totalled 28.5 million. That’s not all; companies large, medium, and small are constantly targeted by hackers. Why? Businesses use personal and sensitive information like name, credit card details, address, etc. for lots of reasons. So, organizations must secure data from loss, compromise, and unauthorized access to prevent reputational damage. Additionally, data security helps with compliance with data protection laws. How Earning a Data Security Certification Is Important According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for data protection officers and information security may grow by 33% by 2030. This shows that more businesses will need the services of data security experts in the coming years. Earning a data security certification places you right in the spotlight. It gives you additional leverage in the workforce and angles you for better pay and exposure. With a certification, your confidence level increases and you work better. Additionally, you get to connect with professionals in related fields. Overall, you become a valuable asset in the workforce. Top 7 Data Security Certifications Here are some of the best certifications for data security you can get—in no particular order. Certification Information Privacy Management The International Association of Privacy Professionals offers this course. The CIPM is more relevant to people working in the following fields: It teaches the various strategies to implement data privacy laws and regulations in every part of a business. These are the skills you learn with the CIPM certification. Healthcare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner The International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 as a program grants participants a healthcare information security and privacy practitioner certification. Patients’ information is extremely valuable so it’s important to secure it. This program teaches individuals ways to secure healthcare data. The following professionals will find this certification useful: CompTIA security+ This certification provided by CompTIA is accredited by the International Organization Standardization (ISO) and ANSI. This program teaches participants how to monitor and secure hybrid environments in compliance with regulations. In addition, it teaches how to analyze and respond to threats. This certification is especially useful to beginner professionals who want to hone their data security skills. While it’s an entry-level data security certification, certain requirements are advised for qualification. GDPR-certified Data Protection Officer One of the platforms offering this certification is the Professional Evaluation and Certification Board (PECB). It focuses on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. This certification aims to teach participants how to advise and monitor GDPR compliance in organizations. Basically, you learn how to steer organizations towards maximum compliance with the GDPR. Certified in Data Protection For those interested in learning about best data protection practices for organizations, the Identity Management Institute (IMI) offers the certified in data protection certification. This certification addresses risk analysis and other important concepts in data security. It’s highly recommended for professionals who want to learn how to meet international security and privacy laws. Certified Ethical Hacker This is provided by the EC-council . This data security certification teaches hacking principles to identify weaknesses in the system and combat cyberthreats. The exam tests skills such as cryptography, cloud computing skills, and hacking strategies for various applications, platforms, and devices. To be eligible for the CEH certificate, professionals need to complete an official EC-Council training course—for those with no prior experience and 2 years of information security experience. Certified Information Privacy Technologist The IAPP offers this certificate to professionals aiming for data protection proficiency. This program focuses on the technological aspects of data protection in particular. While it’s open to anyone, informational technology and information security professionals will find it useful the most. This program teaches the following: Conclusion Credible data security certifications are not limited to the mentioned ones above. As an enthusiastic learner, you can explore the internet for a wide variety of courses. Also, register for courses that offer the best in terms of value and convenience. Pro tip: Never take on more courses than you can handle.
