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There is little doubt amongst technology experts that big data had reached buzzword level within the IT world. Small and large organizations alike in a host of different industries are collecting the information created by their processes and customer practices and are analyzing it for improved insights and more informed decision making. However, often times the data privacy and security aspects are not a large focus within these initiatives.

Due to the fact that information has become a commodity these days, enterprises must work to protect their data. This will ensure that the analysis results are unique to their company and that these findings do not fall into the hands of competitors.

Research findings from the White House
Recently, the federal government released a report detailing certain security best practices for protecting big data, according to Information Week. The report also encouraged individuals to increase their relationship with big data so as not to limit any opportunities or potential from this practice.

"A significant finding of this report is that big data analytics have the potential to eclipse longstanding civil rights protections in how personal information is used in housing, credit, employment, health, education, and the marketplace," stated the report authors.

For this reason, it is critical that this content be safeguarded. However, the report showed that some privacy practices are not as effective as many might think. In some industries, groups leverage de-identification to make information associated with a specific person or device anonymous. While this may seem like an effective privacy measure, the report pointed out that there are re-identification strategies that can be used to sidestep these efforts.

The White House also noted that although many believe big data could pose a serious security risk, it is actually "small data" that creates vulnerabilities. Currently, hackers most often target individual users' sensitive information, such as banking credentials or other data for fraudulent purposes.

"These risks do not involve especially large volumes, rapid velocities, or great varieties of information, nor do they implicate the kind of sophisticated analytics associated with big data," the report stated.

Issues involving big data security
However, this is not to say that big data should not be secured. In fact, a recent IBM white​ paper highlighted several obstacles that are connected with big data protection, including its location. The source noted that when information is house in several siloed environments, it can become more difficult to ensure its safety. Furthermore, the characteristics that define big data also have an impact on security.

"The nature of big data - high volume, variety and velocity - makes it difficult to ensure data integrity," the white paper stated.

However, there are several best practices that can be leveraged to better secure this expansive information. For instance, establishing authentication credentials for each approved user will help administrators improve their oversight of their big data assets. In this way, managers can see who is accessing the database and how they are leveraging the resource.

Additionally, big data silos, databases and other storage systems containing this content should be protected with encryption. This will prevent any third party viewers from deciphering the information.

Protect data in transit with an SSL certificate today.

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