What Is Database Security and Why Is It Important?
Database security is the goal of keeping the information in your database safe. It’s important since a breach can do serious damage to your profits and your reputation. Data centers employ security experts to safeguard your information.
The Importance of Database Security
To understand why database security is important, it’s helpful to realize that data security isn’t a single service, product, or action. Instead, data security is a goal. In this case, one of the most important goals is to protect sensitive data.
Another security best practice is to maintain three facets of your database:
- Availability
- Confidentiality
- Integrity
Database security does much more than protect data. It also protects the entire database management system along with associated:
- Applications
- Network infrastructure
- Physical servers
- Systems
- Virtual servers
Data breaches come in all shapes and sizes with every security breach being an opportunity for the loss of sensitive information. There are internal threats such as insider attacks, unvetted authorized users, or a simple operator error.
Threats can also come from the physical world, such as damage to the database server. Then there are the classic outside digital threats including hackers, denial of service (DoS) attacks, and malware attacks.
Learn more with our 7 tips on how to prevent malware attacks on your business!
What Is the Importance of Data Security?
Even if business leaders know what database security is, they often underestimate why it is important. Database security should be a concern of every organization regardless of size or whether they’re public or private. Failure to prioritize the security of your database can result in:
- Data theft
- Data breach violation penalties
- Damaged reputation
- Higher costs
- Loss of revenue
Data Theft
Many organizations use customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Service providers, especially healthcare and financial systems, collect extremely valuable and sensitive information about their clients.
This includes information such as:
- Bank account numbers
- Credit card numbers
- Customer records
- Social security and personal ID numbers
Unauthorized access to data of this nature can be devastating for victims. Hackers can use the information to steal identities, make unauthorized purchases, or take out loans in their victims’ names.
Data Breach Violation Penalties
Data loss isn’t the only problem that you’ll face after a cyberattack. In some cases, federal, state, and local agencies may impose fines if you’ve committed a data break violation. This is an even bigger concern if you do business in the EU. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is one of the strictest data-related regulatory compliance rules in the world, and violations can lead to hefty fines.
Damaged Reputation
Reputation can make or break your organization. Failure to do all you can to protect client data can lead to fewer future customers as well as the loss of current ones. You will also have to invest in new services and technology, ensuring that only authorized users can access data in the future.
Higher Costs
Ensuring that a data breach never happens again can be a costly endeavor. The total cost of a data breach will vary depending on the case. However, you may end up having to pay for:
- Legal fees
- Losses incurred by your clients
- Data recovery
- System restoration
Many businesses pay for cyber insurance to limit their exposure to ransomware attacks, but even the best insurance can’t cover every cost associated with a data breach.
Loss of Revenue
A breach could force you to divert revenue and profits into security controls, data encryption, and other safeguards that limit access to data. It could also lead to a reduction in business while your reputation takes time to recover. This can result in a hit to your long-term profitability, slowing your original plan for growth.
Learn the 3 cybersecurity facts every healthcare CFO should know.
How Data Centers Can Help Keep Your Database Secure
Data centers play a crucial role in protecting your organization’s database. To accomplish this, they offer important services such as:
- Data encryption
- Network security
- Disaster recovery
- Security audits and compliance
- Secure environments
Data Encryption
Data encryption is an essential service provided by data centers. It protects your data when it’s in use or waiting to be used. Data centers can encrypt your databases and backup files to protect your data during a breach. On top of that, they can implement secure data protocols such as SSL/TLS to protect your data as it travels through networks.
Network Security
Network security is another pivotal service that data centers provide. This includes key features such as:
- Firewalls
- Intrusion detection systems
- Virtual private networks (VPN)
All of these features work together to protect your database from cyberattacks. With these safeguards in place, it’s much easier to detect threats, monitor traffic, and implement updates or patches.
Disaster Recovery
Data centers also play a critical role in disaster recovery. They have thoughtful backup and disaster recovery plans that guard your database against corruption. This is reinforced by their redundant infrastructure such as network connections, power supplies, and cooling systems. Together, you can have peace of mind knowing your database is protected.
Learn about data center disaster recovery and why you need it!
Security Audits and Compliance
Data centers are staffed by experts who specialize in the latest cybersecurity laws and protocols. To protect your database, they work to pinpoint weaknesses to ensure that your data is secure. They also keep you compliant based on your industry’s regulations and standards. This serves to keep your database environment secure and compliant at all times.
Secure Environments
Data centers provide secure digital and physical environments for your information. You can receive enhanced digital security in the form of access controls such as:
- Username/password combos
- Multi-factor authentication
- Biometric verification
These facilities are also usually protected by 24/7 physical security as well. This may include armed guards and video surveillance. Data centers may even have their own digital security controls to move throughout the facility. TenHats provides all of this and more to ensure your data stays secure all day, every day.
Are you ready to partner with a data center to boost your database security? Start a conversation with us today.
When discussing databases, answering the question “What is database security and why is it important” should be a top priority. Database security is the process of keeping your organization’s information safe. Failure to do so can result in losses to your revenue and reputation. Data centers provide access to security experts to protect your information.
In 2016, TenHats built the region’s first purpose-built colocation data center in over 20 years. Located in Knoxville, TN, our data center can serve any organization in East Tennessee and beyond. With our team’s IT experience, we provide a lot more than simply protected data. When you call us, you talk to a real IT expert. Connect with our team about our data center today!
