Best practices for managing data with automation and security tools

Why managing sensitive data with care is critical

Handling sensitive data is no longer a task you can leave to manual processes. The digital age has amplified the volume of data that businesses deal with daily, and with this change comes heightened risk. Handling sensitive data can have disastrous consequences, whether personal information, financial records, or confidential company information. Beyond the obvious risk of breaching compliance regulations, improperly managed sensitive data can lead to severe security threats—data breaches, loss of customer trust, and even financial loss.

So, what’s the solution? The answer lies in automation and using security tools to help you consistently manage and protect sensitive data. Automation isn’t just about saving time; it’s about eliminating human error, ensuring consistent application of data protection policies, and enabling your team to focus on more high-level strategic tasks.

Let’s see how businesses can manage sensitive data and why the right combination of automation and security tools is essential.

The hidden security threats of mishandling sensitive data

It’s essential to recognize that mishandling sensitive data is a security risk. Many businesses are so focused on external threats like cyberattacks that they overlook the internal dangers of poor data management practices.

Here are some common scenarios where sensitive data can be mishandled:

• Storing data in the wrong location: Sensitive information, such as API keys, financial data, or client records, is accidentally saved in an unsecured location.
• Inadequate access control: Employees or third parties with unnecessary access to confidential information due to misconfigured permissions.
• Failure to identify sensitive data: Without the proper tools to automatically classify or detect sensitive data, businesses may be unaware of its presence or fail to manage it appropriately.

Each issue presents a clear security threat, often leading to unauthorized access, leaks, or data breaches. Once sensitive data is exposed, the damage is not just operational but also reputational - customers lose trust in businesses that can’t protect their data.

Automating the detection and protection of sensitive data

As businesses are already becoming more data-centric, automation rapidly becomes the go-to solution for managing sensitive information. Manual processes are slow and prone to mistakes, and the consequences of even one misstep can be dire. Automation tools can help by:

• Identifying sensitive data in real-time: Automated content scanning solutions can continuously monitor your documents, detecting sensitive information as it’s created or modified.
• Classifying data automatically: Once sensitive data is detected, automation tools can immediately tag or classify that content, ensuring it’s treated according to the relevant policies (e.g., internal-only access).
• Enforcing access controls automatically: Automated systems can instantly adjust permissions based on predefined criteria instead of relying on team members to restrict access manually. Sensitive data is locked down before it can be misused.
• Triggering alerts and action steps: Automation doesn’t just stop at identifying the problem. It can automatically trigger alerts to notify stakeholders or generate tasks (such as data cleanup tickets) to address issues promptly.

This proactive approach to managing sensitive data ensures your organization complies with various regulatory frameworks (GDPR, DORA, NIS2, etc.) while minimizing the potential for costly security breaches.

Why automation is key for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)

Automation is indispensable for organizations following stringent GRC frameworks, especially those in finance, healthcare, or government. As a business consultant, I’ve repeatedly seen how manual workflows create bottlenecks and introduce vulnerabilities in data management processes.

Consider frameworks like DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act), which emphasizes the need for robust digital operational resilience. The key to success here is not only identifying risks but also automating how you respond to them. The ability to swiftly and consistently manage sensitive data across your entire organization ensures you're in compliance and protected from potential vulnerabilities.

Automation plays a critical role in GRC initiatives by ensuring sensitive data is always managed according to the policies and standards required without relying on manual intervention. This means fewer mistakes, quicker response times, and less chance of audit failure due to human error.

Implementing automation: Best practices for managing sensitive data

Ready to automate your sensitive data management process? Here are some best practices that can help you get started:

1. Audit your existing data: Before you introduce automation, you need to understand where your sensitive data is located. Conduct a thorough audit to identify which types of sensitive data your business handles and where it’s stored.
2. Define clear data policies: Ensure your automation system aligns with your company’s data governance policies. Define which types of sensitive data require specific actions, such as restriction or deletion.
3. Leverage real-time monitoring: Continuous monitoring allows you to detect sensitive data when it’s created or modified. This ensures there’s no delay in classifying and securing it.
4. Automate access controls: Once sensitive data is detected, restrict access immediately. Automation tools can ensure that only authorized personnel have access, reducing the risk of accidental exposure.
5. Test in a sandbox environment: Before fully rolling out automation, test your rules in a controlled environment. This helps you verify the system works as expected and minimizes the risk of unintentional disruptions to your workflow.
6. Integrate with existing tools: To enhance your data protection efforts, ensure your automation solution integrates well with your other systems—whether they're project management tools, file storage platforms, or security infrastructure.

Security tools’ role in enhancing your automation

While automation is a powerful strategy for managing sensitive data, combining it with security tools creates a more robust approach to protection. By leveraging both without manual effort, you can ensure sensitive data is identified, classified, and secured.

Some examples of features that security tools can provide include:

• Content scanning: Tools that scan content in real-time for specific types of sensitive data, like credit card information or API keys.
• Access management: Tools that automatically adjust access permissions based on data sensitivity, ensuring sensitive content is only available to those who need it.
• Incident response: Security tools that trigger alerts or initiate incident response workflows when sensitive data is detected, allowing your team to take action immediately. These incidents need to be logged in your ticketing system and acted upon.

When combined with automation, these tools provide a seamless way to ensure your sensitive data remains secure.

Streamlining sensitive data management with automation and security tools

Managing sensitive data is not something to be taken lightly. Mishandling data can open up serious security vulnerabilities, from data breaches to regulatory penalties. The solution? Leverage automation to ensure data is classified, protected, and monitored automatically, and integrate it with powerful security tools to mitigate risks even further.

For example, if you’re looking for tools to help facilitate this process, you can use solutions like Atlassian Guard Premium for content scanning and Confluence Automation to automate actions based on detecting sensitive data. These tools provide a practical way to manage sensitive data more securely and efficiently, ensuring you stay ahead of potential threats while keeping your operations compliant.

Taking a proactive, automated approach to managing sensitive information protects your business and builds trust with your customers and stakeholders, ensuring their data and your reputation remain secure.