Does a Law Make Us Protect It?

About this interactive

The Data Types lesson starts with one split: regulated and non-regulated data. Regulated data has to comply with laws and regulations, so the company is compelled to protect it. Laws commonly cover personal data: health information (in the US, HIPAA covers patients' records at providers and health insurers), financial records (GLBA covers banks, lenders and tax preparers), and educational records (FERPA covers schools that receive federal funding). Some business data is regulated too: export-controlled technical data, for example, and a drug maker's clinical trial records, which FDA rules govern. Non-regulated data is data no law makes you protect. That does not mean you leave it open. The lesson says business data such as trade secrets and intellectual property is often protected anyway, because it is an asset: a recipe, a manufacturing process or a product plan in the wrong hands costs the company its competitive edge. That protection is the company's own choice. A quick test for each card: if the company left this data unprotected, would it be breaking a law, or only taking a business risk?

What you'll learn

Tell regulated data, which a law or regulation compels a company to protect, from business data a company protects by its own choice
Recognize the personal data types laws commonly cover (health, financial and educational records) and that business data such as trade secrets and intellectual property is usually protected because it is valuable, not because a law demands it

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+

3.3 Compare and contrast concepts and strategies to protect data.

ISC2 CISSP

2.6 Determine data security controls and compliance requirements

2.1 Identify and classify information and assets

Key terms

Regulated Data: Data that must comply with specific laws and regulations, compelling organizations to meet defined protection and compliance requirements.
Non-Regulated Data: Data that is not subject to specific legal or regulatory requirements, requiring less formal compliance obligations.
Protected Health Information: Protected Health Information is individually identifiable health data covered under HIPAA that requires specific administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect its confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Educational Records: Records, files, and documents that schools collect about students, including grades, transcripts, GPA, and class enrollment.
Trade Secret: Confidential business information, such as a unique manufacturing process, that provides a competitive advantage and is protected from disclosure.
Intellectual Property: Creations of the mind owned by an organization, such as trade secrets, patents, and proprietary processes, that provide competitive advantage.

Topics

Data Types Regulated Data Interactive Streak Sort

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