Data Management in Organizations

Importance of Data

• Data is a crucial asset for any organization.
• Not all data is the same; management varies based on who holds the data and its use.

Types of Data

• Regulated Data:

  • Subject to third-party rules, e.g., credit card data complying with payment card industry standards.
  • Government laws may also dictate storage and retention.

• Trade Secrets:

  • Unique processes and information to the organization.
  • Require strict security measures.

• Intellectual Property:

  • Often visible to others but protected through copyrights and trademark laws.

• Legal Information:

  • Public records but may contain private info.
  • Sensitive details stored in different formats.

• Financial Details:

  • Internal financial data and personal financial info should remain private.

Data Readability

• Human Readable: Easy to understand (e.g., documents, spreadsheets).
• Non-Human Readable: Encoded data like barcodes.
• Mixed Formats: Combine human-readable and non-human-readable elements.

Data Sensitivity and Classification

• Sensitivity Levels:

  • Different types of data have varying sensitivity.
  • Examples: License tag numbers vs. medical history.

• Permissions:

  • Specific permissions for accessing sensitive data.

• Network Restrictions:

  • Restricted network areas for highly sensitive data.

Proprietary Data

• Data unique to the organization, not typically found externally.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

• Ties data back to an individual (e.g., names, birthdates, biometric info).

Protected Health Information (PHI)

• Health-related data specific to an individual, including health status and payment info.

Data Classification Levels

• Sensitive Data: Includes intellectual property, PII, PHI.
• Confidential Data: Requires additional access for viewing.
• Public/Unclassified Data: Information available to the public.
• Private/Classified/Restricted Data: Needs rights, permissions, or NDAs for access.
• Critical Data: Requires procedures for uptime and availability.