The importance of network security is apparent in today’s digital-first world. Fortunately, the world is poised to change as people demand everyday transactions, information, and services at their fingertips. Unfortunately, consumers will find a competitor if they don’t meet these expectations.

So how is security important like BYOD for example? Employers for instance, in which they can benefit from BYOD security policies. Using employee-owned mobile devices can reduce the risk of employee distraction and theft and help keep corporate data secure.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality refers to the steps taken by an organization to keep data private and secure from unauthorized disclosure. This includes controlling access to data and ensuring that only authorized parties have access. This includes passwords, user accounts, and access restrictions. It is also essential to keep data private and secure by encrypting data.

Confidentiality is paramount when the information contained within communications is personal. This could be for national security, law enforcement, competitive advantage, or personal privacy.

Integrity

The integrity of comprehensive data communications security refers to safeguarding data during use, transit, and storage at all stages. This includes the integrity of data on laptops and other portable storage devices and the integrity of data stored in data centers and the cloud. It also protects against human error and other threats.

Integrity is vital because it ensures the authenticity and accuracy of data. Without this, it would be of little use to an enterprise. Therefore, maintaining data integrity is a primary focus of most enterprise security solutions. Depending on the data type, there are different ways to compromise data integrity. Different error-checking procedures and validation procedures can be used to ensure that data is not altered in any way.

Privacy Regulations

Utah is one of the states that are pushing forward privacy legislation. The state’s new law mirrors California’s CCPA and Colorado’s CPA but adds a more business-friendly touch. The law requires covered businesses to provide information about the purposes they process personal data and whom they share it with.

Privacy regulations in the United States include the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and state and federal laws. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission Act empowers the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to take enforcement actions against companies that violate the privacy rights of U.S. citizens.

Cost of Breaches

While data breach costs are rising, they’ve dropped slightly this year. They’ve increased by about 10% over the last five years. A data breach can include direct and indirect costs, such as time spent repairing the damage, lost business opportunities due to bad publicity, and regulatory fines. Companies that have a comprehensive data communications security plan can expect their costs to be much smaller than those that don’t.

While the average cost per breach is $25K, the price of a data breach can be much higher if the breach involves regulated industries, such as health care and financial services. In addition to the costs of repairing the damage, the costs of a data breach can also impact the company’s reputation and employees’ livelihoods.

Managing Network Security in the Cloud

Managing network security in the cloud is a vital part of cloud migration. Security risks are more significant when moving to a public cloud than in an on-premises environment. Therefore, a shared responsibility security model between customers and cloud providers is essential. It helps companies minimize the impact of an attack while ensuring their data remains secure.

To start with, organizations should define a baseline for cloud network security. This baseline should include how cloud environments are designed, what assets are configured, and who has read/write access. This can be done using guides such as the CIS Benchmarks and the AWS Well-Architected Framework. It is also essential to specify policies for pre-production and test environments.