How to prevent data loss: 4 strategies for better data protection

Data loss can be devastating for a business. Fortunately, it's preventable with proper planning.

There are many reasons why data loss can severely harm a business. There are legal consequences to consider: Regulations such as HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR include data retention requirements. Losing data that an organization is legally required to retain can expose it to massive regulatory fines.

Depending on the type of data that is lost, it might directly harm the organization's revenue stream. For example, ifT the loss affects a customer database containing unfulfilled orders. The costs of recovering lost data can also adversely affect an organization, and a data loss event could damage its reputation, particularly if sensitive data is exposed.

IT leaders must take an active role in protecting data and preventing loss. There are four common areas where an organization can implement data loss prevention (DLP) measures: company culture, backup infrastructure and strategy, hardware management and investment, and software selection. Each area has proven best practices to mitigate data loss risks.

1. Create a culture of resilience

Begin refreshing your organization's data loss prevention capabilities by properly prioritizing data management across the business. Conducting training and sending communications can emphasize the importance of resilience to personnel and signal to stakeholders that DLP is a key enabler of the company's success.

There are several actions organizations can take to create a culture of resilience:

• Treat DLP as a high-priority strategic value. Recognize that data management, including data loss prevention, is essential to maintaining and protecting one of your organization's most valuable assets. DLP is not just a technical component that data administrators configure; it's a crucial element of your business and should be recognized as such.
• Encourage informative, proactive communication. Users and administrators should be encouraged to communicate concerns, explain new data storage requirements, and explore ways to improve data protection. Technology professionals should investigate emerging technologies to develop innovative DLP approaches.
• Recognize that training is critical. Data storage technologies continue to evolve at a dizzying rate, as do methods for protecting data. Staff trainings on new techniques for accessing, securing, and storing data can help administrators remain knowledgeable and capable. Training can also encourage non-IT personnel to be more mindful of resilience day-to-day.

2. Construct a reliable backup infrastructure

The primary technological element of data protection is the backup and recovery infrastructure. Backups do more than duplicate data on separate storage media; they verify integrity, provide access control, and attempt to remain as efficient and cost-effective as possible.

Consider the following actions to improve your backup infrastructure:

• Schedule data backups by data type. Not all data needs to be backed up every 24 hours; some may require frequent backups. Establish a schedule that meets the backup requirements for each data type. For example, standard user data might be backed up every 24 hours, while inventory database information might be backed up hourly. Static system configuration information might only need weekly backups.
• Regular testing of backups for recoverability. The most essential part of backed-up data is your organization's ability to restore it after a data loss event. Test this capability frequently to ensure administrators understand the process, data backups are working as intended, and the correct data is being backed up.
• Careful selection of backup and recovery sites. It's common to store data backups on-site for easy recovery in the event of a small-scale incident, such as a user accidentally deleting a series of project directories. However, it's equally crucial to retain off-site storage to protect against the loss of the business's primary data storage facility. Select these sites carefully for availability and physical security. Consider keeping at least one backup copy in the cloud.
• Carefully control access to backups. Be aware that malicious actors might target backup jobs to access sensitive data. Ensure backup storage media is physically secure and implement robust logical access controls. Integrate these practices across on-premises, cloud, and archive storage.
• Respect and enforce the principle of least privilege at all times. The principle of least privilege states that administrators, users, and services should have only the minimum required level of access to accomplish their jobs. Any access level above the minimum is subject to potential abuse that might lead to a data loss event.

3. Understand the role of hardware in data protection

Storage media options evolve quickly, offering greater capacity, enhanced reliability, and more cost-effective storage space. Primary storage is crucial to the availability of the original copy of user data, but the choice of backup media is equally important to prevent data loss. Investing in reliable storage media requires attention and resources.

Here are some best practices to get the most out of your backup hardware:

• Use reliable hardware. Recognize the value of reliable storage media designed for enterprise use. Look for enhanced features such as native encryption, quick access, standardized connectivity and proven longevity.
• Carefully manage the hardware lifecycle. Storage media does not live forever, and frequent read/write activities shorten its lifespan. This is particularly true of solid-state technologies. Recognize the importance of lifecycle management, including budget and resource availability.

4. Recognize the benefits and limitations of data protection software

There are several options for data protection software, , and some are more effective than others. Standard tools, like anti-malware applications, provide more than just data loss protection. Others claim to protect information, but don't necessarily measure up.

Follow this guidance when choosing data protection software:

• Use modern, enterprise-class backup software. Most operating systems offer a basic backup utility. This tool is not usually robust and typically provides only single-system backup capabilities. Enterprise-ready backup utilities are far more versatile and are among your most critical components for preventing data loss.
• Understand the role of anti-virus and anti-malware in data loss prevention. Strong anti-malware helps mitigate ransomware and data corruption incidents, making it one of your most essential software components for avoiding data loss. Monitoring these tools ensures workstations, servers, remote user systems, and edge computing devices remain malware-free.
• What about data loss prevention software? Contrary to its name, data loss prevention software does little to prevent data loss. DLP software is designed to guard against data leakage. For example, an organization might use DLP software to ensure employees aren't using email to exfiltrate sensitive data. Although DLP software is not designed to prevent data loss, it might help avoid it in a roundabout way. Some DLP software can detect abnormalities in how that data is accessed or handled, which might indicate that the user's account is compromised or that a ransomware attack is in progress.

Damon Garn owns Cogspinner Coaction and provides freelance IT writing and editing services. He has written multiple CompTIA study guides, including the Linux+, Cloud Essentials+ and Server+ guides, and contributes extensively to Informa TechTarget, The New Stack and CompTIA Blogs.

Brien Posey is a 22-time Microsoft MVP and a commercial astronaut candidate. In his more than 30 years in IT, he has served as a lead network engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America.