Simple Techniques for Ensuring Data Integrity

  

Date Posted: 3/20/2013 1:45:25 AM

Posted By: SimonMburu  Membership Level: Silver  Total Points: 838

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In these days and times Information Communication Technology, ICT and computing have pervaded every aspect of daily life. Vast amounts of data with personal information and institutional information permeates networks across the whole world. With this shifting of gears to go digital, there is a sacred need for beefing up data security and integrity in all aspects where data plays a vital role. Below are some simple techniques for small firms, large firms and even individuals for ensuring data integrity.

1. Ensuring Effective Backup. Backing up of important files and storing them in a secure offsite location is no doubt one of the best ways to ensure data integrity. Data experts in developed countries have revealed that even if networks have installed complex data protection mechanisms a 100% free-malicious mischief could not be achieved. This calls for an effective backup mechanism to ensure data lost or altered could be retrieved in its original format.
2. Installing and Updating of Antivirus Software. Lose of data integrity is mostly caused by virus attacks in networks and computer devices. Viruses may corrupt the files you share in a network or lead to total loss of packets in the entire network. Antivirus software for servers and local desktops are used to curb this problem but they also require maintenance through frequent updating in order to ensure data integrity. Failure to update antivirus software makes the whole network vulnerable to viral attacks as new formats of viruses pop up in the Internet on daily basis.
3. Educating the User Population. Sometimes user errors make the whole system look untrustworthy. Users who don't have proper training in using the systems in place may cause massive damage to data. It is therefore advisable for organizations to embark on proper training of their employees.
4. Establishment of data protection policies. Policies

for managing use of data from outside the organization network could be helpful as some percentage of viruses are brought in via flash disks and other portable data devices. These policies will also improve the way data is being manipulated throughout the network.
5. Use of Firewalls. Firewalls are filters between computer networks and the Internet. An organization can use firewalls to restrict its employees from accessing certain websites to avoid virus infections. Firewalls could also be used to manage the sending and receiving of data in an entire network. Most organizations have embraced firewalls as they work very effectively in combating the problem of data insecurity.

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