A Better Way to Protect Your Data: Strong Data Security and Governance

June 05, 2025

Effective data protection goes beyond tools and firewalls. It’s about creating a well-rounded strategy built on robust data governance and privacy practices. These foundational efforts don’t just support cybersecurity; they enhance it, allowing organizations to operate more securely, efficiently and in compliance with growing regulatory demands.

Prefer to watch? Find this discussion on better data protection, featuring Optiv’s TJ Carsten and John Humenick, in the video below.

Start with Governance, Not Gadgets

One of the biggest misconceptions in cybersecurity is that buying and installing tools is the first step. In reality, organizations must begin with a solid data governance framework. Data governance establishes policies and procedures to effectively manage the flow of data through its life cycle, from initial collection to use and processing, all the way through archiving and destroying when it's no longer needed.

A critical starting point is data discovery and classification. Organizations can’t protect sensitive data if they don’t know what they have, where it resides or who has access to it. With a clear data inventory, it becomes easier to deploy tools in targeted ways, improving both efficiency and effectiveness. Knowing where sensitive data lives allows teams to enforce access controls, conduct periodic reviews and retire data that no longer serves a business purpose, eliminating unnecessary risk.

Equally important are policies that provide guidance on data classification, retention and destruction. A clearly written charter helps staff understand what constitutes restricted, confidential or public data, and how that data should be handled across various channels, from internal emails to external file sharing.

Collaboration Drives Consistency

An effective data governance initiative must be collaborative. Stakeholders across departments (legal, compliance, IT and business units) all touch different kinds of sensitive data. A cross-functional governance committee ensures that everyone’s needs are considered, while also setting clear roles and responsibilities. This group can prioritize risks, align on resources and build a strategic roadmap to close data protection gaps across the organization.

Without a centralized governance approach, different teams may handle data inconsistently. Developers, for example, might focus on functionality over security, inadvertently exposing critical information. When rules aren't defined at the organizational level, teams operate in silos, leading to gaps that attackers can exploit.

Data Privacy: More Than a Checkbox

Let’s switch gears over to data privacy, which is centered around the rights notices and regulatory obligations of properly handling using retaining that personal data. This isn’t just about compliance; it's about maintaining trust with customers and employees. Privacy policies must communicate clearly what data is being collected, how it’s used, why it’s necessary, and how long it will be retained. With over 20 U.S. states implementing their own privacy laws, and more in the pipeline, organizations must stay informed and adaptable.

Data privacy also means enabling individuals to exercise their rights, such as requesting access to their data or asking for it to be deleted. Cookie consent, opt-out mechanisms and transparency about third-party sharing all play into regulatory compliance and ethical responsibility. Organizations that bake these practices into their operations will be better prepared to meet both current and future regulations.

The Benefits of Robust Data Protection

Strong data protection strategies offer a wide range of benefits. First and foremost, they increase visibility and control over sensitive data, across on-prem and cloud environments. With the right tools in place, organizations can locate, classify and monitor sensitive information more easily.

A mature data protection program also reduces compliance burdens. If an auditor or regulator comes knocking, having clear documentation, automated controls and a mature governance structure in place makes the process far less painful. Additionally, these efforts improve internal resource management. When sensitive data is properly classified and stored, teams spend less time chasing down information or responding to unexpected risks.

These foundational practices also make organizations more resilient. When new regulations are introduced or existing ones change, a baseline assessment helps identify gaps and quickly realign processes. That adaptability is crucial in a fast-evolving threat landscape.

Planning Before Implementing

Organizations often fall into the trap of reacting, such as buying tools, launching initiatives, without a cohesive strategy. But without alignment on priorities and roles, these efforts often result in patchwork fixes. Planning is essential. Defining use cases, understanding the current environment and setting realistic goals ensures that any new tools or services will integrate well into the existing cybersecurity framework.

Tools like data loss prevention (DLP) can be particularly effective when aligned with existing governance policies. For example, if files are already labeled and classified correctly, DLP tools can use those labels to enforce policies more accurately and efficiently rather than relying solely on keyword or content-based filters.

Evolving with Attackers and Technology

As much as regulations are evolving, attackers are too. Emerging technologies like AI and quantum computing are reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. Data that’s encrypted today could become vulnerable in the future. That’s especially dangerous when dealing with long-lived data — like blueprints, intellectual property or proprietary formulas — that remain valuable for years.

Attackers are playing the long game. They don’t necessarily need to decrypt your data today. They just need to steal it and wait. That makes it all the more important to think beyond short-term compliance and build long-term resilience. Encrypting data is necessary, but so is preventing it from leaving your environment in the first place.

High-Risk Data to Prioritize

Some data types carry inherently higher risk. Government-issued identifiers like Social Security numbers, passport numbers and driver’s licenses top the list, followed closely by financial information and health records. If a bad actor can use a piece of data to impersonate someone or commit fraud, it should be treated as highly sensitive. Protecting this kind of data must be a top priority in any governance or security strategy.

Wrapping Up

It’s easy to ignore data protection until something goes wrong. But attackers don’t wait for organizations to be ready. Starting the conversation, however uncomfortable, is essential. Even if a program is immature or still developing, taking the time to build a foundation pays dividends in security, compliance and trust.

Ultimately, robust data protection isn't about buying the most expensive tool. It’s about thoughtful planning, cross-functional collaboration and ongoing adaptation. When organizations start with governance and privacy, the rest of the security framework follows.

Reach out to an Optiv expert to learn more about how to establish an effective data protection program for your organization.