The Hidden Risk in Data Transfer: Is Your Sensitive Information Really Secure?
Is protecting stored data enough?
Businesses invest significant time and money protecting the information stored within their networks and cloud environments. Encryption, access controls, endpoint protection and monitoring have all become standard parts of cybersecurity.
But what happens when that information needs to leave?
Customer records are emailed to colleagues, financial documents are sent to advisers and confidential files are shared with suppliers, clients and partners. This constant movement of information can create a gap between how well data is protected when stored and what happens once somebody presses send.
That is why secure data transfer needs to be considered as part of an organisation’s wider approach to protecting sensitive information.
Where does the risk come from?
Email remains one of the easiest ways to exchange information, but convenience can introduce risk. Attachments can be sent to the wrong recipient, forwarded without permission or exposed if an email account is compromised.
File-sharing services can create similar problems if organisations cannot control permissions, monitor activity or determine how long information remains accessible.
The issue isn’t always the technology itself. Often, it is the lack of visibility businesses have once sensitive information starts moving outside their immediate control.
What should secure data transfer look like?
Protecting data in transit requires more than simply encrypting a document.
Organisations should know who can access sensitive information, when it has been accessed and what recipients are permitted to do with it. Depending on the information involved, controls may also be needed around downloading, forwarding, editing, file lifetimes and storage.
A clear audit trail is especially important, particularly when an organisation needs to demonstrate how information has been handled for governance or compliance purposes.
DOQEX brings secure email and file sharing together within a private data exchange, helping organisations maintain greater control over information as it moves between people and systems.
Do you know where your data travels? There is another question businesses should be asking: where does sensitive information actually go?
Data can move through different systems and jurisdictions during the course of a seemingly straightforward exchange. This is particularly important for organisations with strict data residency, sovereignty or governance requirements.
Secure data transfer should therefore consider the journey of information as well as its destination. Controls such as geofencing can help organisations place restrictions around where sensitive information is permitted to travel, providing another layer of control over data in transit.
Don’t forget suppliers and partners
Secure data sharing does not stop at the edge of the organisation. Suppliers, customers, auditors, advisers and other partners regularly require access to confidential information.
Businesses need to consider the entire journey of that data and whether third-party sharing introduces gaps in their existing security processes. Secure file sharing should provide control without making collaboration unnecessarily difficult.
Keep control when data starts moving
Ultimately, secure data transfer is about maintaining control. Businesses already put considerable effort into protecting information while it is stored. The same thinking needs to apply when that information moves.
Understanding what is being shared, who can access it, where it travels and what happens after it leaves the organisation is a good place to start.
The Hidden Risk in Data Transfer: Is Your Sensitive Information Really Secure?
Is protecting stored data enough?
Businesses invest significant time and money protecting the information stored within their networks and cloud environments. Encryption, access controls, endpoint protection and monitoring have all become standard parts of cybersecurity.
But what happens when that information needs to leave?
Customer records are emailed to colleagues, financial documents are sent to advisers and confidential files are shared with suppliers, clients and partners. This constant movement of information can create a gap between how well data is protected when stored and what happens once somebody presses send.
That is why secure data transfer needs to be considered as part of an organisation’s wider approach to protecting sensitive information.
Where does the risk come from?
Email remains one of the easiest ways to exchange information, but convenience can introduce risk. Attachments can be sent to the wrong recipient, forwarded without permission or exposed if an email account is compromised.
File-sharing services can create similar problems if organisations cannot control permissions, monitor activity or determine how long information remains accessible.
The issue isn’t always the technology itself. Often, it is the lack of visibility businesses have once sensitive information starts moving outside their immediate control.
What should secure data transfer look like?
Protecting data in transit requires more than simply encrypting a document.
Organisations should know who can access sensitive information, when it has been accessed and what recipients are permitted to do with it. Depending on the information involved, controls may also be needed around downloading, forwarding, editing, file lifetimes and storage.
A clear audit trail is especially important, particularly when an organisation needs to demonstrate how information has been handled for governance or compliance purposes.
DOQEX brings secure email and file sharing together within a private data exchange, helping organisations maintain greater control over information as it moves between people and systems.
Do you know where your data travels? There is another question businesses should be asking: where does sensitive information actually go?
Data can move through different systems and jurisdictions during the course of a seemingly straightforward exchange. This is particularly important for organisations with strict data residency, sovereignty or governance requirements.
Secure data transfer should therefore consider the journey of information as well as its destination. Controls such as geofencing can help organisations place restrictions around where sensitive information is permitted to travel, providing another layer of control over data in transit.
Don’t forget suppliers and partners
Secure data sharing does not stop at the edge of the organisation. Suppliers, customers, auditors, advisers and other partners regularly require access to confidential information.
Businesses need to consider the entire journey of that data and whether third-party sharing introduces gaps in their existing security processes. Secure file sharing should provide control without making collaboration unnecessarily difficult.
Keep control when data starts moving
Ultimately, secure data transfer is about maintaining control. Businesses already put considerable effort into protecting information while it is stored. The same thinking needs to apply when that information moves.
Understanding what is being shared, who can access it, where it travels and what happens after it leaves the organisation is a good place to start.
Find out more about secure data exchange with DOQEX.
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