Data Protection

Data Protection is the protection of sensitive and business-critical data against loss, manipulation, misuse and unauthorized access. The term ranges from classic encryption via access control to classification, monitoring and policies for data flows and data loss prevention. Especially in cloud and SaaS environments, data protection is particularly demanding, because data passes through many systems, users and integrations. Organizations must therefore know where data resides, how sensitive it is and who may access it in which context.

Data minimization, retention rules and protection against exfiltration also play important roles. Data protection is closely linked to privacy, identity security and compliance, but goes beyond them in content. Intellectual property, trade secrets and operational information must also be protected in a targeted manner. The term thus stands for the protection of the actual corporate value that is processed by IT systems. For steering and verifiability, Governance and Security are central points of reference.

See also: SaaS Security, Identity Security and Zero Trust Security.