Why Data Privacy is so Important

In today’s digital world, data is a critical asset for any organization, and as businesses collect and share it, the need for data privacy has become more crucial than ever before. In addition, new privacy rules and regulations such as GDPR and CCPA bring more liability for businesses to ensure good controls and policies are in place for the protection of sensitive data. 

Benefits 

The first and foremost benefit is to avoid huge fines and penalties by being compliant with the current privacy laws and regulations. Nowadays,the term “data breach” has entered mainstream media and companies are being sued for failing to exercise proper oversight of cybersecurity risks. Protection of data involves using strong security measures for the protection of personal data and all the relevant activities involved such as collecting, storing, processing, accessing, transmitting, sharing and disposing of the data. Therefore, implementing strong security safeguards to protect personal data helps avoid data breaches that can negatively impact the reputation and financial posture of an organization.

Aside from preventing data breaches and revenue loss, organizations can gain an advantage over their competitors by showing the security measures taken to protect and maintain the privacy of customer data. These security and privacy measures can be used for marketing strategies to build and maintain customers' trust and to further expand business opportunities. Organizations that care about their customers' data and consistently follow privacy best practices will foster emotional connections to their brand, which will maintain and improve their brand value.  

Evaluating Data Privacy for Log Management

Third-party log management vendors have become an essential part of many organizations’ business operations. While working with a log management service provider can help deliver value to the business, they also pose a significant cyber risk especially when sensitive data such as personal, financial, and health care data is shared. Therefore, based on the type of data sharing, it is crucial for an organization to request and review the relevant compliance audit reports (like PCI, SOC 2, and HIPAA) prior to engaging with a log management service provider. In addition, new audit reports should be obtained and reviewed every year for due diligence purposes. Aside from the compliance audit reports, relevant signed agreements such as a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) for GDPR, a BAA (Business Associate Agreement) for HIPAA, or a MNDA (Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement) for Business Contracts should be obtained for the purposes of data privacy. Published privacy policies for GDPR & CCPA including security white papers on vendors' websites also helps to understand how seriously they take data privacy.

‍