Data Privacy Day 2022: Prioritising Data Security And Privacy Need Of The Hour, Say Experts And Enterprises

As we celebrate Data Privacy Day on January 28, leading enterprises and experts highlight the importance of the need to prioritise data privacy.

New Delhi: Cyber attacks, data breahes and online frauds seem to be ever-growing especially after the onset of COVID-19 that brought a shift in our work lives and personal lives. With the growing need to stay connected online, be it for work or leisure, safeguarding one's privacy has become the need of the hour. According to the recent Deloitte Global 2021 Future of Cyber Survey, CISOs and CIOs have listed their top tech adoption priority drivers as privacy at 59 per cent, security at 64 per cent and compliance at 50 per cent and business efficiency and intelligence at 45 per cent. 

With the rapid modernisation of digital infrastructure, it has become especially important for corporates to shield their data with exceptional technology. As we celebrate Data Privacy Day on January 28, leading enterprises and experts highlight the importance of the need to prioritise data privacy.

"As organisations aim to modernise their digital infrastructure, it has become imperative to fortify data with exceptional technology. Oracle, with its forty-plus years of expertise in the domain, has managed to secure world’s most critical data with its offerings aligned towards ensuring exceptional security options. Having realised the importance of data security and privacy for any organisation, Oracle has built its products in a way that not only offers high performance but also protects customer data against any cyberattacks or failures," Shailender Kumar, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, Oracle India, told ABP Live.

Echoing similar sentiments, Manish Sehgal, Partner, Deloitte India said: "At an individual and country level, privacy literacy, alongside cyber literacy is extremely important for us to sustainably scale digital India programme. Privacy is for us to own it, and for our safety and security. At an organisational level, privacy must be a cross-functional topic, and individual awareness is key. Privacy cannot be a standalone strategy, and organisations that look at privacy more holistically with data responsibility, customer trust, business ethics and good corporate governance, are poised to succeed in the digital world."

Toward the end of 2021, cyber attacks against corporate networks increased by a staggering 50 per cent as compared to 2020 with the education and research sector being the hardest hit, averaging 1,605 attacks per week. Government organisations, communications companies and internet service providers were a close second, according to Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point Research.

"Even attacks on the healthcare sector were up 71 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, showing nothing is off-limits to threat actors. In our 2022 'Security Report', we also noted that email had become an increasingly popular vector for distributing malware throughout the pandemic. Data Privacy Day, or Data Protection Day as it’s known in Europe, is the perfect time for individuals and businesses to evaluate their data hygiene and security protocols to ensure their data is kept as safe and secure as possible," said Sundar Balasubramanian, Managing Director, India and SAARC, Check Point Software Technologies.

Highlighting that data protection should be the prority for organisations, Amit Jaju, Senior Managing Director, Ankura Consulting said: “In last two years, data of about 1.2 billion people were exposed and discovered on the dark web, and only 1.5 million data theft complaints were received by the FBI. As the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, it becomes pertinent for organisations to prioritise it as a foundational aspect in business decisions and not as an afterthought."

"Data has taken the centre stage with growing adoption of digital technologies, to harness their potential and reap its benefits. From availing contactless services to staying connected in the digital ecosystem, immense amount of data gets generated, every day. As individuals and businesses alike are leaving mega footprints of of data, it has become imperative to be aware of one’s privacy rights, and ensure a safe and secure digital experience," noted Piyush Jha, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Technology APAC, GlobalLogic.