Data privacy, governance and insights are all important obligations for businesses

TechRepublic's Karen Roby spoke with Kon Leong, CEO and co-founder of ZL Technologies, a information absorption company, astir information privateness and governance. The pursuing is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Karen Roby: Kon, it's been said galore times earlier erstwhile talking astir endeavor tech and privateness legislation, that if it hasn't started already, it is clip for the endeavor to truly rethink absorption done data.

SEE: Security incidental effect policy (TechRepublic Premium)

Kon Leong: Yes, indeed. Actually, it was overdue for the epiphany, and determination are much epiphanies to come. The archetypal epiphany is we person to negociate our accusation obligations together. Privacy is evidently a large component, but truthful are different obligations specified arsenic to reply litigation, specified arsenic to support physics concern records, specified arsenic to reply regulatory authorities. All of these combined nether immoderate umbrella we telephone accusation governance. Now, that's travel together, that's the archetypal epiphany. The 2nd epiphany is simply a small spot much bully quality successful that isolated from conscionable gathering your obligations for accusation management, it tin besides pb to a monolithic worth proposition successful being capable to pat into each of that governed information for insights to tally the company. This is astir a virgin tract due to the fact that astir of the information that's to beryllium governed is what we telephone unstructured data, textual data, worldly that doesn't acceptable successful an SAP database. It's rather a spot different. It's rather challenging, due to the fact that connected the SAP side, you tin easy benignant information by, let's accidental ZIP code, but however bash you benignant a paragraph?

It requires a re-thinking of however to pat into this unstructured data, and it's perfectly necessary. And the crushed is due to the fact that unstructured information is each quality data. All the worldly that we pass among humans is each unstructured, and if we pat into that, we clasp the keys to the quality broadside of the firm kingdom. And that bears singular imaginable successful presumption of knowing however your organizational dynamics enactment and thereby getting insights to truly up the organization's performance. That's very, precise overmuch gathering up close present arsenic we speak, and there's a massive, I think, realization yet to travel that this imaginable is wholly untapped.

SEE: Data privateness laws are perpetually changing: Make definite your concern is up to date (TechRepublic) 

Karen Roby: Kon, speech a small spot astir legislation, specifically wherever we are. Of course, it's been piecemealed successful antithetic ways from antithetic states, and that makes it somewhat confusing and convoluted, too.

Kon Leong: The determination is successful paces. Currently, astir of the privateness absorption is connected user data, and that volition beryllium the archetypal stop, if you will, for each the regulators. However, portion and parcel of that determination is besides the work to negociate your firm data, particularly worker data, for example, interior data. That besides has to beryllium addressed, and of people it each comes unneurotic arsenic successful everybody's backstage data. That really is simply a small spot misunderstood today, and here's why. Although GDPR was the archetypal move, I don't deliberation the satellite has yet grappled with what precisely privateness laws entail.

SEE: How to negociate passwords: Best practices and information tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The exertion is lagging earnestly behind. Most of the absorption contiguous is connected privateness processes and procedures and protocols, but nary one's truly focusing on, "OK, present that we've got each of these policies successful place, however bash we implement? Where's the plumbing, where's the infrastructure?" And there, I deliberation the world's inactive waking up to the challenges ahead. It is rather a monolithic leap successful accusation management. If you privation 1 analogous representation oregon a comparison, for the past 7 decades oregon more, IT has focused connected information that was chiefly each siloed. Siloed applications generating siloed data. And present present comes a slew of legislative initiatives that say, "OK, we're looking astatine privacy, and by the way, nary information is exempt. Therefore, we don't marque exemptions for silos. So to negociate it, you person to de-silo effectively." And are you kidding me? You're going to undo 70 years of IT infrastructure? So we're inactive benignant of scratching our heads and saying, however bash we get this done? And I deliberation the world's inactive waking up to that.

"We are conscionable astatine the opening of tapping into the worth of data, particularly the quality data, the unstructured data. When that comes about, I deliberation determination volition beryllium rather an awesome realization that, 'Oh my God, we're sitting connected this accusation power, and truthful what that volition have, not conscionable control, but besides responsibilities.'"  Kon Leong, CEO and co-founder of ZL Technologies

Karen Roby: All right, Kon, conscionable looking down the road, accidental a twelvemonth from now, however bash you spot things? How volition they beryllium antithetic than today?

Kon Leong: I deliberation we're benignant of muddling our mode done it successful the much larger sociological perspective. There are galore contradictions. For example, this 1 often catches regulators off-guard. To instrumentality privacy, you request intrusion. It's the nonstop other of the intent.

To springiness you an illustrative example, perchance the world's astir backstage accusation strategy is besides perchance the world's astir intrusive, similar the CIA's classified system. You lone get to spot what you're allowed to see. This contradiction truly hasn't seeped into the public's consciousness.

SEE: Expert: Intel sharing is cardinal to preventing much infrastructure cyberattacks (TechRepublic)

Karen Roby: What volition it instrumentality for it to?

Kon Leong: I deliberation that's an absorbing question, but what's much absorbing is, what volition it instrumentality to support the intent of privacy? Because information, residential accusation is perchance the astir almighty plus of immoderate company, enactment oregon country. In a sense, you could accidental that it's adjacent much almighty than atomic bombs. Nuclear bombs you usage for an invasion, destruction. But information, with accusation control, you tin person sustained occupation. That's a wholly antithetic gig.

Karen Roby: Totally different.

Kon Leong: Yeah. Residential accusation is simply a tremendous magnitude of power, and the lone enactment betwixt conscientious usage and maltreatment is palmy and sustained oversight. How tin we support that? I don't person an answer, due to the fact that successful mankind's history, it's inactive been a enactment successful process.

Karen Roby: Yeah, inactive a batch of answers that we need, Kon. Before we wrapper up here, immoderate last thoughts you privation to walk on?

Kon Leong: We are conscionable astatine the opening of tapping into the worth of data, particularly the quality data, the unstructured data. When that comes about, I deliberation determination volition beryllium rather an awesome realization that, "Oh my God, we're sitting connected this accusation power, and truthful what that volition have, not conscionable control, but besides responsibilities." We're close present demoing immoderate of the things disposable wherever you tin scour the full beingness of information that you person nether your roof, and the magnitude of things that autumn retired are conscionable jaw-dropping. You tin reply questions that you ne'er thought you could answer. For example: Who are my astir captious employees? Who are my go-to people? ... with conscionable a click of the button. We're progressing precise person and person to that Hollywood representation depicted successful Minority Report. We're getting person and person there. It'll beryllium absorbing to spot however we fare erstwhile we get there.

Also see

• Cybersecurity: Don't blasted employees—make them consciousness similar portion of the solution (TechRepublic)
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• How to go a cybersecurity pro: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
• Security threats connected the horizon: What IT pro's request to cognize (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
• Checklist: Securing integer information (TechRepublic Premium)
• Cybersecurity and cyberwar: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)