What is Data Security Measures? : 9 Key Strategies for Organizations

Data is a coveted currency. It forms the basis of every operation, often dictating how businesses grow and the kind of customers they serve. The more sophisticated the operation, the more granular and intricate the structures that govern them are. And so safeguarding and managing them at every turn can be a complex function. One that can be exploited, manipulated, and bypassed by malicious actors.

Over the years, the number of data security incidents has increased multifold. A recent study suggests that in 2020 alone, companies across the US experienced data breaches that cost them an estimated average of $3.8 million. Such incidents undoubtedly cause immense harm—the type of harm that can cause businesses irreparable reputational damage.

This figure could be because of a multitude of reasons—rapid cloud adoption, the emergence of a scattered workforce, dispersed endpoints, and human error among many others. But no matter the cause, organizations have recognized that having the right data security measures not only protects critical systems but can help them maintain a high level of security.

In this blog, we explore 9 definitive security policies and measures your organization must implement to secure your data over the cloud and improve your security posture.

What are data security measures?

Data security measures are policies and procedures put in place to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to assets, preserve the integrity of data, maintain uniform policies and minimize the impact of security incidents. Additionally, such measures are not just outward-facing, they even help organizations stay firm against insider threats and safeguard intellectual property.   

Data security rules differ from company to company—they are designed based on their unique security and compliance objectives. Building an effective folio of policies also hinges on the size of the organization, the industry it operates in, and the risk appetite.  

Also, read: Data Privacy Week in 2025

Why are data security measures important?

A strong security and compliance posture is seldom built in isolation. It’s laid on a bedrock of strong data security measures and policies. But what role do they fulfill exactly? Why do companies find them invaluable?

Enforcing data privacy

Organizations deal with a large volume of customer data, a lot of which is sensitive. Protecting such data is not just a requirement but a matter of mandate under multiple compliance and regulatory standards. Data security standards are guardrails that ensure information at multiple levels such as Electronic Personal Health Information (ePHI), card-holder data, and financial records are protected from unauthorized access and only made available to privileged users while also ensuring data subjects are afforded certain access rights.

Better lifecycle management

Picking up from the previous point, data exists within systems at various stages. ‘Generation’ refers to the state of data at the point of origin, ‘At rest’, indicates storage online or offline, ‘Transmission’ or in transit between systems or devices, ‘Process’ i.e, data which is being actively accessed, consumed, transformed, or used as a part of a business process, and ‘Purged’ or destroyed once the data subject revoked access or when data is no longer relevant. At every one of these stages, establishing data security measures ensures the highest level of protection.

Adhering to regulatory requirements

Regulatory standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS have certain data security requirements as a part of their framework. Not having these in place are non-starter for companies operating under those geographies (for GDPR) and industries (for HIPAA and PCI DSS). Having the right set of data security measures enables the organization to obtain adherence to the security requirements and lets customers assume a stance of trust. And with that, drive business and open up new growth opportunities.    

The Sprinto advantage: A tool like Sprinto can prove invaluable in your effort to get compliant. Not only does it help you align your controls with regulatory requirements quickly, but helps you automate compliance checks and evidence collection. The platform also helps you identify and fix controls that are about to fail in real-time. 

Sprinto supports 15+ compliance frameworks and comes with comprehensive out-of-box policy templates that make quick work of developing and deploying customized policies. 

Let’s show you how it’s done.

Side-stepping security incidents

Data breaches aren’t just costly. They come with a host of repercussions—legal, financial, and reputational, among others. And so, one of the most important benefits of data security measures is that it helps prevent such incidents. A strong set of security rules helps you implement best practices and rollout policies that keep the business ahead of the evolving threat landscape. Organizations are also realizing the importance of aligning with the latest security and compliance frameworks, voluntary and otherwise to maintain a dependable standard of security across corporate networks and personal devices. Frameworks like HITRUST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SOC 2, and HIPAA are extensive in the demands they make of companies to gain compliance.

Lesser business disruption

In some cases, there’s very little security teams can do to avoid security breaches especially since human error is a leading cause. But irrespective of the root cause behind them, organizations strive to ensure their customers don’t feel the full brunt. Business disruption can be extremely costly—it can cause irreparable damage to brand reputation, not to mention costing potentially millions of dollars based on the extent of damage. Data security measures ensure that the business can function properly even when data is damaged or lost.

Protection against insider threats

Threats are not always external. Employees can just as much be a cause of data breaches or security incidents, when negligent, such as incidents of phishing attacks as well as for malicious reasons, such as in cases of disgruntled employees targeting data theft. Data security measures help organizations prevent such incidents from happening through standard onboarding and offboarding procedures and policies. 

9 Data security measures your business needs 

There are a few data security measures that stand a step above the rest. Not because they’re more important but because of the position they hold within security and compliance. These security practices don’t just form the vitals of a security management process but also help continually assess and evolve with the threat landscape. 

With that in mind, here are 9 security measures you need to implement for a bullet-proof security posture. 

1. Password protocol

The most predominant risk associated with stolen/compromised passwords is identity theft. And so, the first measure to highlight here is keeping password hygiene. Relatively, it is a straightforward measure to put into practice. 

While users may find it difficult to keep track of them, passwords are not going to be replaced any time soon. So while they’re still around, the rules are simple. The more complex and strong passwords are, the harder they are to crack. They should contain as many characters, numbers, and special symbols as possible, and yet be easy to remember. Ideally, it is also recommended to use different passwords for every website or account you use. 

Unfortunately, password hygiene does not end there. According to a recent survey, over 41% of employees admitted to sharing passwords. Not only is this detrimental to security but can have other devastating impacts (see above). So it’s vital to ensure passwords are not shared. 

Must check: Quick Guide: How to Implement Data Privacy Framework?   

2. Access control 

Access control is a cornerstone of security. Whenever setting up an account, system, or database, it’s important to ensure that they’re accessed exclusively by those afforded the privilege. This is also a prime instance where the principle of least privilege applies—users are only granted the minimum permission needed to complete the task or job.   

Implementing Access Control Lists (ACLs) helps moderate who gains access to what resource. It defines roles within the system that are assigned to users which are used as rules to deny or grant access. Utilizing an ACL not only helps you secure crucial data but also helps limit the volume of network traffic to vital files, data, and systems. 

Another best practice is to ensure privileged user accounts are monitored closely. As a part of off-boarding, it’s important to revoke access to the cloud environment to prevent potential insider threats and data from getting into the wrong hands.

3. Multi-Factor Authentication

For the uninitiated, Multi-Factor Authentication, MFA for short, is an authentication mechanism that only grants access to users who can confirm identity on two or more instances. Some see it as a failsafe for the password mechanism—in a way that ensures layered defence against unauthorized parties.  

Multi-Factor authentication is a central component of the Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy. It also stands as a mandate with security regulations like HIPAA and comes with many advantages that make this a must-have. Not only is it easy to set up but is highly adaptable at a granular level, and reduces data breaches multi-fold when deployed over passwords. 

But despite all these advantages, a recent study determined that only 58% of organizations use MFA with 32% making it optional for their employees, stats that a