Personal data has always been a source of wealth for companies that are able to optimize their advertising targeting and develop their business. The rise of Big Data has further transformed the relationship between companies and the data they process. The entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulations (DGPS) in May 2018 has led companies processing personal data to change their policies to comply with them. Indeed, personal data must now be protected and the DGMP introduces the principle of "Privacy by Design" in order to respond to the various problems posed by Big Data. Taking into account the integrity and security of personal data is now at the heart of business development.
In this article we will first discuss the principle of "Privacy by Design" and its impact on companies. Then, in a second step, we will focus on how to protect your corporate database with encryption of stored content.
What is the concept of “privacy by design”?
The principle of "Privacy by Design" consists in taking into account the protection of users' privacy and personal data from the design stage of a project, whether it is hardware (smartphone, connected object...) or software (applications, search engine...). From now on, taking into account data protection constraints is a basic principle that must be put in place from the beginning, and throughout the project development cycle.
The impact of “privacy by design” on my company
The principle of "Privacy by Design" therefore concerns companies as soon as they collect and store personal data.
Once collected, these data form what is commonly referred to as a database or database for intimates? A company may have to manage one or more proprietary databases or as a subcontractor.
In any case, it must comply with the seven concepts listed above to ensure the security of its databases and comply with the DGMP.
In IT, we tend to say that there is no such thing as zero risk. The principle of "Privacy by Design" therefore aims to limit the risks for companies and users as much as possible.
Once a company stores data in a database, it may sooner or later be exploited by a third party who should not have had access to it.
That's why it's important to encrypt your company database.
The importance of encrypting my company database
Now that you have a clear understanding of the principle of "Privacy by Design" and its impact on your company, we offer you an example of an action to take to protect your data.
In order to reduce the risk of disclosure and hacking of personal data, it is important to encrypt your company database.
The purpose of encryption is to make the content stored in a database unreadable and therefore unusable if the decryption key is not available.
This way, even if a malicious person manages to bypass the usual protections and recover the content of your corporate database, they will not be able to exploit it through encryption. It is the same scenario in case of data loss or leakage.
Maintaining and managing a database is very often a source of stress for companies. With database encryption, your company can rely on quality protection and focus on segmentation criteria, for example.
To conclude
Privacy and data protection have become major issues for companies since the introduction of the DGMP.
Encrypting your corporate databases is an effective way to ensure that only people (or programs) with the necessary permissions can access content.
This method of protection also finds its place when you are connected to a computer network to exchange sensitive data for example. Privacy by Design" therefore takes on its full meaning, by allowing you to integrate all the necessary protection solutions from the design stage of your website.