Data Auditing: Protecting Intellectual Property Online

Proprietary data loss, theft and inadvertent exposure on the Web are real and unavoidable dangers going hand-in-hand with modern business operations. Information can be lost or compromised due to human error, corruption, digital attack or fraud, among other culprits.

But routine, real-time data audits provide a proactive defense strategy companies can use to protect their most valuable asset - their data. Whether customer, product, personnel or financial information, every organization, including municipalities, corporations and non-profit organizations, depends on it.

When organizations proactively protect their intellectual property, they can significantly reduce their risk and the consequences of online compromise. While security breaches put finances and reputations on the line, regulatory non-compliance ramifications are quite arguably the most detrimental. Today's businesses and organizations must maintain extensive documentation to remain compliant with government regulations like HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley and Gramm-Leach-Bliley.

Data audits integrate digital inventory practices with clear accountability trails and consequences should security be compromised. Audits mitigate risk while providing a transparent access trail along with details showing any structural and transactional changes. So recovery is faster, easier and more cost-effective. Audits also help administrators monitor activities in real time, so data can be located and taken offline before major consequences occur. The mere existence of data auditing processes can deter thieves, curtail misuse and ensure employees think longer before they act.

Simplifying a Massive Task

When considering the quantity of electronic data within each organization, data audits can seem immensely time-consuming and expensive. Many businesses, in fact, avoid auditing altogether, choosing instead to react to situations as they occur and face the consequences at that time.

While undoubtedly an enormous task, electronic data auditing and proactive strategies are possible and manageable, with automation, by far, the easiest and most cost-effective means. Automation offers a scalable solution, rarely escalating in price as organizations grow. Automated systems also minimize the burden on employees and managers. Furthermore, because these systems require little to no human intervention, they're much less susceptible to human error, adapting to any organization throughout its lifecycle.

Key Aspects of an Effective Electronic Data Auditing System

When devising a data auditing system, plan well into the future and assess long-term business needs. Devise a flexible and scalable system that can easily adapt to business change without disruption. Ensure your auditing system is independent of all other IT systems, assigning responsibility to an individual separate from and impartial to the data in question.

Take the time to identify and inventory all electronic data files, both internal and external, including email and instant messages, customer lists, financials and bank records, web and design files, directories, personnel and legal records, audio, video and other media. Define each file's importance, its role and sensitivity. The more thorough, the better.

Finally, while real-time logging should be restricted to read-only access, discouraging tampering, all auditing systems should include the ability to easily analyze and locate data, create reports, assess trends and trace transactional paths. Once a system is in use for a reasonable amount of time, administrators can then evaluate average file usage, establishing expectations and automated alerts to deter and quickly catch unintended use and exposure.

While a significant task at the onset, automated data auditing can help safeguard a company's intellectual property from online exposure for years to come, protecting the organization's information and reputation.