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Information Security for Regulatory Compliance
The purpose for Information Security (Info Sec) in your organisations, is to safeguard valuable business information and personal data from being:
- Modified
- Accessed by unauthorised individuals
- Recorded
- Accidentally or maliciously destroyed
- Stolen in a cyberattack
Info Sec incorporates GDPR Data Protection laws, to ensure the safety and privacy of critical personal data such as employees and customers address, date of birth, and financial information including bank account numbers, and sort codes.
Info Sec is used to protect your data assets from various threats, such as theft, undercover activities, and cyberattacks.
It’s necessary for businesses to implement Information Security measures including policies and processes, to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets, stored digitally or as paper documents, and to comply with GDPR data protection laws.
Why is Info Sec important?
- For protecting sensitive, confidential, personal information, and financial data from being accessed, disclosed, or modified by unauthorised individuals.
- To mitigate the risk of an cyberattack, and other security incidents such as data breaches, and denial-of-service attacks.
- In compliance with regulations governing the protection of personal data to avoid fines and legal consequences.
- To protect your business reputation by minimising the risk of security breaches.
To maintain business continuity in the event of a security incident, this includes ensuring access to key systems and data, to minimise the impact of any disruption.
The CIA Triad
3 Principles of Info Sec
The basic principles of information security are Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
Confidentiality
This is to safeguard sensitive information from being compromised and disclosed to unauthorised individuals. Having processes to keep personal information private and that it’s only visible and accessible by individuals who own or have permission to access it.
Integrity
Maintaining accurate and reliable data for consistency, by safeguarding data from unauthorised changes.
Important information must be protected so it cannot be edited accidentally or maliciously including additions, alterations or being deleted, for example a disgruntled employee who is leaving an organisation should be denied access to systems where they could potentially edit or delete important, sensitive, or personal data.
Availability
Information whether in digital or in manual paper format must be available and accessible to authorised individuals when necessary.
Keys to filing cabinets should be stored safely and securely and location known to only authorised persons.
Technology computer systems need to have regular back-ups of important data, disaster recovery procedures, and factoring in cyberattacks and power outages.
Info Sec policies should consider any business information that is held locally, such as on employees own device, in their desk that may not be accessible should the leave the organisation.
Your Legal Obligation
Information Security Policies and Procedures
Having Info Sec Policies and Procedures, provide clarity and consistency to everyone in your organisation. They communicate what people need to do, and the reasons why they need to do it, to protect important business and personal data.
The Policies
Communicate the goals to achieve compliance with GDPR Data Protection laws.
The Procedures
Lay out the practical steps your business need to take to fulfil the policies and comply with legal obligations.
