Evolving technology trends have created numerous information security concerns for many organizations, significant damage can result from non-compliance fines as well as broken customer trust. This places a premium on protecting digital assets with best practice security solutions. InformationWeek columnist Michelle McNickle highlighted comments from healthcare experts, who identified common challenges and effective data security solutions. One common theme in the discussion centered on expectations and evaluation. Particularly as employees across many industries go mobile, it is becoming much more difficult to protect sensitive information at every endpoint.

It is also not enough to simply assume an organization currently meets regulatory requirements because it has done so in the past. According to McNickle, many healthcare organizations don't evaluate their compliance postures annually, even though that is a requirement mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. While necessary for compliance, regular review of implemented practices also enables organizations to identify gaps and close them before they allow for data breaches.

McNickle noted comments from Kimberly Holmes, deputy product manager of healthcare at Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, who strongly advised organizations to use data encryption software. Although some solutions can be cumbersome and expensive, Holmes said that encryption is an affordable and relatively easy to implement option. The growing need to encrypt data is underscored by the rapid adoption of mobile technology among healthcare organizations. According to Holmes, many professionals don't fully understand the data privacy needs in light of trends such as bring-your-own-device, but encryption is a simple solution that can make a significant difference.

Big data's security implications
Not every industry faces the same stringent regulation as healthcare, but many businesses must contend with similar data security challenges. As a recent Infosecurity Magazine article recently reported, so many companies are starting to leverage big data that it is becoming the norm.

"The big data revolution, spurred by technologies that allow companies to collect, manage and analyze very large data sets thanks to cluster-based computing architectures – is creating vast repositories of mission-critical information that are, in turn, creating new security concerns," the article stated. "Unfortunately, a new white paper finds that most enterprises are relying solely on passwords to protect their data."

Companies can use the same safeguards with big data clusters as they can with traditional application data, the article noted. Highlighting the value of file encryption in particular, the article said protecting data at rest is essential for preventing malicious applications or users from gaining unauthorized access to corporate information.