Extract from Dean Gonsowski’s article “Data Is Fluid—So Why Are Data Maps Static?”
This article appeared in Cybersecurity Law & Strategy, an ALM publication for privacy and security professionals, Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Corporate Counsel, Internet and Tech Practitioners, In-House Counsel. Visit the website to learn more.
How many emails do you send a day? What about files? And how many records do you save to the cloud every day? Data is no longer stationary, yet we still create data maps that are a snapshot in time. In today’s digital age, modern enterprises are “always-on,” meaning that their data is “always-on” too. Data is flowing to the edge, to the cloud, and beyond the confines of an organization — but by creating maps that are static, it’s impossible to get a true picture of what data needs to be protected, secured, and managed.
Data “in transit,” or in motion, is data that is moving from one location to other, such as from device to device or through a private network. Data “at rest” is data that is not actively moving from place to place, such as archived data. Protecting data in motion and at rest is crucial for data-driven enterprises as hackers continue to come up with new ways to attack. However, without truly understanding your data flows at all times, protecting and securing that data will be Sisyphean at best.
