The concept of Data Privacy is not new, given the current digital age that we reside in. Our personal and organizational data is always at risk, given the rise in cyber threats and attacks in the past decade. It is one of the primary reasons why Data Privacy has become the number one concern for individuals and enterprises alike.
Every year, Data Privacy Day is celebrated on 28th January, after the Council of Europe resolved to introduce Data Protection Day in April 2006 when the Council’s data protection convention, called “Convention 108”, was opened for signature. Today, Data Privacy Day is celebrated globally on this date.
On 28th January every year, parliaments, governments, national data protection authorities, and enterprises organize multiple activities to spread awareness around data privacy & protection rights.
Digitaltech Media interacted with prominent tech leaders, CIOs, CTOs, and other IT leaders to comprehend their views and thought leadership on Data Privacy Day. Read to find their expert opinion on the significance of Data Privacy Day for organizations big and small.
Vishak Raman, Vice President of Sales, India, SAARC, and Southeast Asia at Fortinet
“A total of 5.07 billion people around the world use the internet today. As internet users continue to grow, there is still education and work to be done in the realm of data protection. How data is created, shared, processed, and stored today, or the volume of personal data that exists for virtually everyone, there simply cannot be any data privacy without good data security.
The goal of Data Privacy Day is twofold – every user should understand that they have the right and power to protect and manage their personal data, while organizations understand why it is important to protect and safeguard their customers’ data and Personally Identifiable Information (PII).,
Data Privacy Day is a reminder to every organization that accesses personal data to evaluate its IT security infrastructure. IT security solutions should be able to effectively communicate, regardless of where they have been deployed, to optimally protect data and provide network-wide visibility. The network must also include sophisticated data protection measures such as threat prevention & detection, pseudonymization of PII, and internal segmentation to isolate attacks and track customer data.
Every organization must have a documented and tested data breach response plan to be prepared for existing data privacy regulations or others on the near horizon.”
Amit Saxena – CIO, Ramco Plexus, Nairobi Kenya
“In the current age, data is the most valuable asset a company can own. Be it the organization’s data or its client information,’ should this data be compromised or mishandled, the potential loss of revenue is huge. Therefore, the primary concern for all businesses or organisations should be securing this asset.
On the other hand, data protection has not been such an easy task given the ever-evolving cybercrime techniques and tech evolution. While it is clear there is a dire need for more effective and dynamic data protection policies and techniques, it’s also crucial for businesses to have disaster recovery solutions in place should the worst occur.
When it comes to ransomware, the biggest financial killer is downtime. Therefore, having a disaster recovery solution based on continuous data protection (CDP) in line with backup is vital to equip companies with the ability to be resilient in the face of potentially catastrophic circumstances. Companies using CDP can limit downtime and restore operations in a matter of seconds or minutes rather than days or weeks.
On this Day we mark Data Protection Day, I want to encourage businesses and organizations at large to not only look at what they can be doing to protect themselves but also what solutions they have in place to recover, should disaster strike.
Data protection is a collective responsibility. We need to embrace best practices to ensure that even the weakest links are reign forced such an example as, devices are password protected, printing and printer management, document and folders access control, NDA, password and authentication process policies and domain control and management policies review ”
Deepak Bhosale, General Manager-IT, Asian Paints
“The digital era is transforming our lives faster than before, resulting in all of us becoming consumers or generators of data. Our data will be worth more than any physical asset as we immerse ourselves in the new phygital world. Security of our sensitive and personal data assumes prime importance, irrespective of whether it is individual or corporate data. On Data Privacy Day, let’s take a moment to reflect on the importance of safeguarding this new gold. It is time to re-examine our practices in protecting our data, such as passwords, sharing confidential information, and being updated on new sources of threats. At our workspace, we must pledge to be vigilant and the strongest. Let’s make security a daily habit!!
Srinivasan Mahalingam, CISO, C-Square and Netmeds.com
“Data protection and privacy are not only legal requirements but moral imperatives as well. They are the foundation upon which trust and confidence in an organization are built. Without them, individuals’ rights to control their personal information and the free flow of information, vital for democracy and innovation, are diminished. Protecting personal information is a constant and evolving responsibility that requires a commitment to transparency, accountability, and on-going improvement.”
