The Collision of Big Data and Cybersecurity

The rise of big data has led to a parallel evolution in the field of cybersecurity. Hence it is critical for companies to understand the relation between the two to comprehend the skills that must be acquired to take full advantage of the data they possess while keeping it safe at the same time.

Data is growing not only in volume, variety, and velocity but also in terms of its value. Today even unstructured data can be aggregated, converted into machine-readable formats and combined with structured data. As a result, companies must democratize their data so that it can be made available at every level of the enterprise to extract maximum value from it.

Thus the growth and democratization of data have a significant effect on cybersecurity. The increase in the amount of data has also led to a simultaneous growth in the infrastructure that generates and supports the data. This, in turn, has created a much larger surface area that involves complex interactions between people and applications both on and off premise, on mobile and in the cloud. The scenario has been further aggravated by the advent of the Internet of Things and the continued digitization of systems.

Additionally, since data no longer resides in siloed applications, the traditional approach of defending those silos is not a feasible option anymore. As the data can be accessed via multiple channels, companies, instead of protecting the application silos, must develop strategies to protect the data itself. This essentially is the essence of data-first security. To meet the twin challenge of maximizing the data value while ensuring its safety, people play a crucial role as much as the platforms do.

This is because it requires humans to looks for irregularities between data sets and patterns and ask the right questions to find the right problems for data platforms to solve. It also takes human imagination to contemplate experiences and solutions that consumers might value. This also requires building a healthy data culture within the organization. It also requires adopting ways to promote the desired behavior such as adherence to password discipline, avoiding phishing practices, use of secure networks, etc.