Information security is the process of reducing risks by using secure systems to reduce or eliminate vulnerabilities that could be exploited for unauthorized access to sensitive company and personal information. Information protection also covers the use of a variety of technology solutions such as firewalls, encryption and antivirus to stop the damage that can be caused by data theft or loss. This field, also referred to InfoSec, has evolved into an extremely specialized field that covers everything from networking and infrastructure security to auditing and testing.

Regardless of the size or nature of the business each business holds a significant amount of sensitive information. This includes names, Social Security Numbers, credit card numbers and other account information. It could also include employee records, and other private data. If misused, this information can be used to commit identity theft or fraud and could have devastating consequences for a company’s reputation.

A solid information security strategy is necessary to protect a business from breaches and maintain compliance with the law. To achieve this it is important to remember that there are three pillars of security for information: confidentiality, integrity and accessibility.

Confidentiality is the safeguarding of data from disclosure that is not authorized and only allowing people who have been authorized to access it. This can be achieved through simple methods, like having passwords that are strong and regularly changed, encrypting information so that it is only read by those who click to investigate have the key, or choosing messaging platforms which encrypt messages. Information protection can also make sure that information is always accessible and can be restored in the event of a disaster occurs or the system fails. Backups and archiving are a great way to in this.