Objective's Cassandra Bisset outlines the benefits of a modern approach to information protection for the public sector.
The challenge of safeguarding sensitive information has become progressively complex.
- The impact of increasing cyber threats has been felt with significant breaches occurring and increasing sophistication from attackers.
- The need to comply with stringent regulations while managing vast volumes of dispersed information is increasingly putting pressure on staff.
- Organisations are operating expanding technology portfolios and information sprawl has continued to expand rapidly.
- We have seen emerging challenges to meet demands of AI and automation initiatives, requiring the screening of large collections of content and curating content for these initiatives.
To address these challenges, organisations must adopt proactive strategies to detect, manage, and protect high-risk and sensitive information effectively, and around the clock.
But, these factors are putting significant pressure on staff and public trust. So, how can organisations ensure constant vigilance? Here, we provide a number of suggestions based on our work with public sector customers.
Discover Information Across Disparate Systems
Gain a Comprehensive Understanding of Your Information Landscape
The first step in protecting sensitive information is knowing where it resides and establishing an ongoing proactive detection capability.
With high-risk information located across cloud platforms, on-premises systems and other digital repositories, organisations need centralised capabilities to automatically detect and stay ahead of potential exposure. This isn’t just about tracking information, it’s ensuring compliance and security are applied automatically with practical measures.
By implementing federation solutions to oversee information from various platforms, you can create a unified view of your information landscape ensuring:
- Visibility: Understand where all your critical information resides.
- Governance: Establish robust frameworks for decision-making and compliance, closing gaps in repositories with low capability.
- Efficiency: Automate information management processes for better outcomes.
This holistic strategy empowers your organisation to track, manage, and secure sensitive information across cloud and on-premises systems, building a stronger foundation for operational excellence and information protection.
Identify and Classify Sensitive Information
Crucial Steps to Mitigating Risks and Enhancing Security
One of the most significant challenges in managing sensitive information lies in identifying and classifying it accurately. Without this, public sector organisations risk overlooking vulnerabilities, leaving them exposed to breaches or non-compliance with regulations such as GDPR.
Modern tools powered by AI can revolutionise this process by automating the identification and classification of sensitive information. The advantages include:
- Enhanced Accuracy: AI-driven solutions ensure precise identification of sensitive information.
- Increased Efficiency: Automating classification speeds up the process, freeing your team to focus on strategic initiatives.
- Proactive Risk Management: Pinpoint and prioritise areas requiring immediate attention.
By leveraging these advanced capabilities, your organisation can better mitigate risks, ensuring sensitive information is secure and compliance standards are met without overburdening staff.
Take Action for Enhanced Security and Compliance
Bolstering Your Organisation’s Security Posture
Meeting compliance standards is no longer sufficient; public sector organisations must take additional steps to fortify their security strategies. Taking proactive action to manage and safeguard sensitive information enhances your organisation’s ability to protect itself against emerging threats.
Key measures include:
- Effective Disposal: Eliminate outdated or non-essential information to reduce your information holdings and minimise risk and address over collection.
- Secure Redaction: Protect sensitive information by automatically redacting specified datapoints.
- Enhanced Permissions: Ensure critical information is accessible only to authorised personnel.
- Safe Transfers: Move high-value information to secure environments to reduce vulnerabilities.
These actions empower your teams with practical insights, ensuring your organisation remains agile, compliant, and secure in the face of evolving digital challenges.
Proactive Monitoring and Supervision
Stay Ahead of Potential Threats with Real-Time Insights
Proactive management of information de-risks your organisation and effectively manages your compliance obligations.
Real-time supervision of sensitive information enables public sector organisations to:
- Identify threats early and respond quickly.
- Minimise exposure to risks by ensuring your information is protected.
- Maintain a robust security posture that inspires confidence among stakeholders.
- Address operation and process gaps to operate more efficiently and support staff.
With these capabilities, your organisation can achieve the highest levels of information protection and operational efficiency.
Why Proactivity Matters for the UK Public Sector
Public sector organisations are custodians of vast amounts of sensitive information, from citizen data to classified documents. A reactive approach to information security is no longer sufficient in today’s complex landscape.
By adopting a proactive, automated strategy, you not only ensure compliance with evolving regulations, but exposure from a breach is significantly mitigated, bolstering public trust and confidence in your ability to operate.
Looking for further guidance? Our latest infographics provide advice on the topics discussed above:
- 3 Essential Steps for PII Identification & Management - download now
- 7 ways to transform your information holdings with AI - download now
To continue the conversation, join our upcoming UKAuthority Live session: Safeguarding sensitive information with AI (26 February 2024, 11:00-12:00) which will focus on information privacy and security as part of best practice information governance in today’s digital age.
We’ll be joined by Steven Marshall from the Social Research and Information Division of Welsh Government who will talk about the Welsh Government’s information governance journey and what it is doing to protect its information amidst constant change and complexity.
Find out more and register here to join us LIVE on 26 Feb
