Securing Employee Data

As digitization is increasing and almost all organizations have their employee data stored on their infrastructure or some cloud server. Personal & Demographics data for HR purposes, Wellness data for tracking productivity linked matrices, etc. Most of this data is personal & sensitive, also, is covered under privacy statutes in one way or other. The security of this data also becomes increasingly important, whether it’s stored within the company or on a 3rd party cloud server.
There are several steps organizations can take to ensure their employee’s data is secure. This can include using some common data storage & processing techniques as below:
a) robust encryption algorithms & firewalls:
Do not store data in a database without either encrypting it or with a weak password policy. We normally ask our clients to hash out all private/sensitive information & then store it in a database that can be accessed only with valid keys. Application and network firewalls also play a major role in securing access to the datasets.
b) implementing regular security audits:
Once data is stored securely, implement a strict data policy around it. How that data will be controlled, accessed, updated, retained, deleted, shared, etc. should be mentioned in that policy. These policies should be verified by regular data policy audits.
We suggest a 6-month cycle for low volume – low exposure datasets, to our clients & more frequent cycle for clients with high volume & high exposure of their datasets.
c) conduct security tests:
As data nowadays is shared extensively with external entities, either within the organization or outside, all the touchpoints and access gates to that data should also be secured. These can be done through various security tests, like conducting regular VAPT, SAST, DAST & Risk assessments.
Our experience tells us that this frequency should match the mix of your infrastructure and tech stack, your data access/update cycles, and the industry you operate in.
d) training staff on data security protocols & awareness training:
One of the most overlooked and underestimated portions of your organization’s security posture is employee training and awareness. Your employees are the first line of defense against any data breach or theft incident. They need to be appraised of the latest methods, tools, and techniques that can make them victims of a data breach attack and train them how to spot/avoid/report these attack vectors.
We provide customized risk scoring of this factor to each of our clients when requested through our proprietary tool.
Each organization’s security structure, needs, environments, etc. differ, but by taking these basic steps, organizations can take the first step in making sure their employee wellness data remains secure and private in the years to come.