Data protection vs. data privacy vs. data security explained

In this video, TechTarget editor Tommy Everson talks about data protection, privacy and security and the role they play in secure data management.

A sound data management plan covers all the bases.

An organization's success largely depends on its ability to gather, access, manage and secure data. A thorough data management plan is broken down into three functions: data protection, data privacy and data security. While these terms are often used interchangeably, business and IT leaders should keep in mind their differences to develop an effective data management plan.

Here, we'll discuss the differences between data protection, data privacy and data security.

To make data-driven decisions, organizations must be able to access relevant data in the first place. This is where data protection comes in; it involves the technologies, practices, processes and workflows that impact data availability.

Data protection is comprised of three procedures: data inventory, which determines the amounts and types of data within an enterprise; backup and recovery, which protects data from hardware failures and data lifecycle management, which deals with how data is stored and classified.

Of course, the valuable nature of data makes it a target for bad actors, which brings us to data security. Data security focuses on safeguarding data against unauthorized access, theft and corruption.

Data security practices include physical security of devices, identity and access management, encryption technologies and more -- basically keeping data out of the reach of bad actors. Keep in mind that businesses are typically required to present clear data security plans when pursuing business partnerships or capital investments.

Finally, data privacy is concerned with the ethics of data management. Data privacy informs users and other data sources why data is being collected, what it's used for and how it's being stored and protected, which allows for overall transparency between data users and providers. There are several laws that standardize ethics and transparency in data handling, including the General Data Protection Regulation, the California Consumer Privacy Act, the Australian Privacy Act and more.

Overall, organizations must prioritize all three aspects of a data management plan to ensure that data is available, relevant, safe and secure. They typically hire data management teams that make sure all aspects receive adequate attention and that data is turned into actionable insights.

What steps does your organization take to improve data management? Let us know in the comments and subscribe for all things business tech.

Tommy Everson is an assistant editor for video content at TechTarget. He assists in content creation for TechTarget's YouTube channel and TikTok page.