Cybercrime moving companies towards lifecycle data protection programs

Organizations are moving from a siloed approach in addressing data security challenges to lifecycle protection out of necessity, according to Gary Palgon, nuBridges’ VP of Product Management and an industry expert on data security.

While some companies place the priority on shoring up data security for information flowing between business partners, others believe strong perimeter security will protect data at rest inside the confines of their firewall. Yet with the inventiveness of cybercriminals and ever-strengthening data security mandates and privacy laws in response to their attacks, CSOs are seeing the writing on the wall.

The early days of electronic business were very much focused on B2B security – making sure the information sent up and down the supply chain with business partners and banks was protected. This practice proliferated in the mid-90s as the use of private networks to transfer files gave way to the Internet, which though free is also public and required a whole new approach to data security.

Over the last five years, the need to secure data at rest became a priority as a result of numerous breaches of credit card data and other types of confidential information. Companies are now realizing it is just as important to secure sensitive data moving within their enterprise. Managed File Transfer (MFT), the continuation of the original B2B file transfer security, is gaining traction with organizations that want to ensure that all company and customer confidential data at rest, in transit with business partners or moving between employees is protected.

In its latest Hype Cycle report for Data and Application Security, Gartner examines Managed File Transfer and Enterprise Key Management, predicting that both technologies will become mainstream technologies within the next two to five years.

The report cites the increased interest in Enterprise Key Management occurring as a result of, “-¦increasing audit focus on data security and as organizational focus on data security begins to shift away from the historical approach of protecting data within technology silos to the more holistic strategy of protecting enterprise data throughout its life cycle.”

The report goes on to note that companies are looking at Managed File Transfer technology, “-¦to assist in passing audits related to the privacy and security of data at rest and in transit.” Finally, the report recommends that, “Organizations that are likely to be impacted by recent national, regional, local and corporate mandates should consider MFT solutions as a way to prove compliance to mandates and regulations.”