No matter what your company does, you have a responsibility to your customers to protect their data. This responsibility of protection extends to your employees and anyone else whose data you handle. There are certainly legal ramifications for failing to protect data, but data security is also the morally right move. Read on to learn more about the benefits you need to know about data masking.
What Is Data Masking?
Companies that frequently work with data need to be aware that there are bad actors out there hoping to access that data. It’s not enough to set up a firewall—once that protection goes down, all your data is available to anyone who wants to use it. Data masking is an extra level of protection that works by transforming sensitive information into a “masked” version.
Instead of a social security number and state ID number, data masking replaces information with a string of random numbers.
Security
Masked data is more difficult for bad actors to access, plain and simple. If protecting confidential information is important to your company, data masking should be an essential step in the security pipeline. This security protects you from more than just data breaches—it also shields you from the legal action that comes with data breaches.
Compliance
The PCI Security Standards Council and other regulatory bodies like it require certain steps to be taken to protect sensitive information. Data masking helps you stay in compliance with these regulations and avoid breaking any rules.
Privacy
Boasting top-notch privacy capabilities is something that customers want to see. You’re more likely to get people to sign up for your services if you have strong privacy measures in place. When you’re working with the plethora of data that comes with a smart data platform, this becomes even more essential.
Now that you understand these three benefits you need to know about data masking, consider acquiring data masking solutions for your business. One simple change can inspire confidence in your business while also making real strides to increase the security of your data.
