New data laws are coming in 2020. Is your business protecting digital identities?

Over the next 2 years, new data laws coming into force such as CCPA and India’s new data laws, will have a wide impact on businesses around the world.

The idea of digital identities, or an individual digital footprint is gaining ground, and with it, the regulation around protecting that footprint through the myriad of data architecture today.

In the digital economy, businesses need to make sure that their users, their employees, and even their business partner data is being protected and properly handled.

Legacy technology poses a risk to businesses, especially if it means that unsecured hard drives and servers are later accessed withthese new laws in effect. Digital identities such as patient records, addresses, phone numbers and social security numbers need extra security, and with that, proper handling processes.

For businesses that are are looking to enhance their data security practices, they can consider software auditing and data degaussing as an additional step in that effort.

Understanding the importance of privacy protection, and proper data removal is essential for many businesses that have a multinational footprint. As data can get transferred between countries with different rules and regulations, it becomes more vital for businesses to think about how digital identities are being protected in the cloud and elsewhere.

Digital identities also have a lifetime ‘value’ and a patient record that falls into the wrong hands years down the line can be very costly. So data erasure and using hard drive degaussers or destroyers could also be another option for adding that layer of transparency – and securing older systems.

The digital economy is growing at an exponential rate around the world, and personal data is becoming a human rights issue. With that in mind, businesses need to strongly consider auditing their data practices and seeing how they can protect their users now, and into the future.