INTERVIEWS
Integrated Cybersecurity Solutions Can Help Companies Protect and Monitor Data Emad Fahmy, the Systems Engineering Manager for Middle East at Netscout, speaks about what companies need to do when they handle large amounts of data How has the need for data security and compliance changed over the past year? Data security and compliance have evolved in the role they play in our everyday lives. Both are critical factors for consumers to trust the business entity that they provide sensitive personal data to. As cybersecurity attacks increase, the spotlight is firmly fixed on data security and compliance moving forwards. According to our Threat Intelligence Report in 2020, there were over 10 million DDoS attacks taking place alongside rising rates of ransomware attacks and data breaches. Even though data security has been a recurring and critical topic for a while, the increased reliance on the use of virtual solutions and platforms we have witnessed during the past year has made this a priority. What are the best-practice standards and frameworks that can help companies achieve and maintain data security and compliance? As companies struggle to maintain and achieve data security and compliance, their digital transformation journey has propelled them into the more challenging task of managing and tracking data company-wide. Data management best-practice is to put in place clear and defined procedures that support and manage data compliance activities. One of the best ways businesses can protect and monitor data across their organization is through an integrated cybersecurity solution. At Netscout, we choose to apply three types of safeguards to assure our client’s data is protected: • Technology safeguard, which is done through the application of anti-virus and encryption and the continuous monitoring of our system and data center to ensure compliance • Organizational safeguards, through the training and awareness of our
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resources to make sure that they are also applying personal data safety best practices Physical safeguards refer to securing access to facilities and regular destruction of personal data according to compliance policies.
Are there any regional data compliance regulations and frameworks, which companies that handle large amounts of public data need to follow? Across the UAE, multiple authorities exist that look after data security and compliance regulations and set the standards to be applied by companies in the country. The National Electronic Security Authority (NESA) standards outline the requirements for appropriate implementation of security controls in order to safeguard information assets across all entities in the UAE. Complying with these standards allows the mitigation of identified information security risks and the implementation of efficient controls. The Information Security Regulation (ISR) works along with the international compliance standards ISO 27001:2013. This regulation evaluates 12 domains among information security structure, ranging from management and governance to performance measurement. What according to you are the four tips that companies need to follow to ensure data security? We recommend using an integrated cybersecurity solution to maintain data security while remaining compliant. The main four tips we suggest as requirements for the implementation of an integrated cybersecurity solution are: • The ability to classify and understand sensitive data in order to achieve visibility on different data platforms. • The option to map identities to ensure
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the authentication of anyone logging into the system. The continuous risk analysis of sensitive data in order to simplify the tracking and prevention of data leakages. The planning and monitoring risk to protect data from unauthorized access by implementing automated orchestration.
Do you believe the line between data security and data privacy has started blurring? With businesses facing rapid data growth across the enterprise as they embark on their digital transformation journey and individuals’ shift to a more virtual way of living, the line between data security and data privacy becomes increasingly blurred. As large volumes of data are widely available today more than ever, we have to place high importance on managing and protecting data to avoid its misuse and ensure regulatory compliance and customer trust, making data security and privacy more important than ever before.
