The ever-increasing scope of data usage has brought with it an increased risk from cyber threats, both deliberate and accidental.

When starting on your Net Zero journey, this means that it is crucial to consider security vulnerabilities upfront. Ensure that technology and supporting processes are designed to minimise the risk of breaches & data leakage and reduce the on-going burden on your organisation to mitigate cyber intrusions.

Not all data needs to be treated the same way, and identifying critical and sensitive data resources will allow you to prioritise the way the information is handled and how it is accessed. It’s a necessary first step toward developing a data classification policy and implementing the proper controls to maintain data security and availability.

All stored data can be classified into categories. To effectively and consistently classify the data that you are planning to use, you must ask several questions as you identify and assess it.

Use the following sample questions as you review each section of your data needs:

• What information do you store about customers, employees, suppliers and partners?
• What types of data are created when generating a new record?
• Who must access this data to continue productive operations?
• How sensitive is the data, what harm could be done if it gets into the wrong hands?

Data’s “sensitivity level” dictates how you process and protect it. If you know data is important, you must assess its risks. The data classification process helps you discover potential threats and deploy the cybersecurity solutions most beneficial for your organisation.

By assigning sensitivity levels and categorising data, you can understand the access rules surrounding critical data. You can monitor data better for potential data breaches and, most importantly, remain compliant.

Compliance guidelines will help you determine the proper cybersecurity controls, but you must perform a risk assessment and classify data first. Organisations often engage a third party to help with data classification so that cybersecurity deployment can be more efficiently executed.

Data Classification Levels

It can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose. Open data requires little security because its disclosure would not violate compliance. | The use of an organisation’s internal data is usually limited to its employees.    Internal data can have different security requirements that affect who can access it and how it can be used.  | The loss of confidential data is harmful to individuals and organisations and therefore requires clearance to access it.    You will need a process for specific employees or authorised third parties to request access to this data, and for that access to be regularly assessed.   Methods like identity and access management (IAM) tools are used to control access to confidential data. | This is your most sensitive information. Loss of restricted data can severely impact an organisation or the individuals whose information is compromised   Access must be strictly controlled to prevent unauthorised use and it should be encrypted for additional protection.    The disclosure of restricted data may result in fines, irrefutable damage to reputation, or even impact national security. |