NEWS SPONSORED BY DELL E-SERIES 24" MONITORS FROM DCC:

By Iniel Dreyer, Managing Director at Data Management Professionals South Africa

Data management is critical not only for mitigating the risk of ransomware, but also for compliance with various data privacy and data protection regulations. Businesses have tools, policies and extensive systems in place to deal with this, but often forget about securing endpoints. An endpoint is any device that has access to a network, and this includes not only laptops and desktops but also mobile devices and tablets.  Any location where data is generated and stored needs to form part of a holistic data management approach, and if endpoints become an afterthought, they can be the source of vulnerability that creates a security loophole that could result in a serious data breach.

The biggest attack surface

Despite recent efforts being focused on data protection, the reality is that endpoints are still the biggest attack surface when it comes to ransomware and malware. When data is stored on a device, data protection needs to be deployed on these devices, including basic tools like antivirus and threat detection and prevention software. If data resides on a device, or it is created and/or stored on that device, there is also a compliance discussion that needs to be involved.

The reality is that at the endpoint, there is often a lack of stringent and enforceable policies in place to ensure that any data stored, especially sensitive information, personal information, or corporate intellectual property, is effectively protected. It is imperative to include endpoints as part of any effective data management strategy, including insight into the data that lives on these devices, as this plays an important role in overall risk and compliance adherence.

The weakest link

With the rapid evolution of the workforce to a work from home and hybrid environment driven by the pandemic, endpoints have become something of a soft spot for malware to access networks, simply because they are not always adequately protected. Devices need to be secured, including mobile phones and tablets, and this should be part of corporate policy and not the responsibility of the individual. Ultimately, the business remains liable for a data breach regardless of where the vulnerability occurred, and the compliance issues and reputational damages will be the same.

People are often careless with their mobile devices, so all endpoints need to be given the same attention in the data management design. Basics like antivirus, malware detection and prevention software, strong passwords and multi-factor authentication need to be in place, devices need to be secured, and data recovery strategies need to be in place should a data loss event occur. Furthermore, consistent policies need to be applied across all devices that access the network.

A proactive approach to data management

Data should never be managed in siloes, and the same applies to data created and stored on endpoint devices. However, businesses also need to become more proactive about data management, because effectively managing data is not just about protecting it but about preventing potential breaches and attacks.

Viruses are typically triggered on endpoint devices, and often do so undetected, but there are signs and behaviours that can indicate a breach before it can cause too much damage, such as higher than usual volumes of data being modified or downloaded. An effective data management strategy must include elements such as anomaly detection on devices to identify behaviours that are out of the ordinary, alert to potential problems, and trigger policies to handle an event.

Data management is not just about protecting files, but also about preventing the spread of viruses and other malware. If endpoints are not considered as part of an overall data management strategy, they become an afterthought that could turn into a security loophole that raises the risk of a breach or a compliance issue.