Data protection is highly important in 2022 to avoid becoming a victim of online scams, losing any stored data, and prevent others from stealing your personal information. Such actions can cause severe reputation damage and monetary loss for both businesses and individuals.

Data protection is the act of following a set of rules and investing technologies to safeguard our data. 2022 is the time both businesses and individuals must improve their awareness about data protection, quitting the “it won’t happen to me” mentality and starting to invest in worthy protection software.

Increased digitization and the immense increase in the use of AI in various aspects force people to acquire data protection knowledge and come forward to invest in it. High digitization calls for extra safekeeping of digital assets and documents naturally.

Businesses who want to minimize loss due to data theft and individuals who want to protect their integrity online are starting to realize the importance of data protection alike. Here are the top four scenarios where data protection will be highly useful in 2022.

  1. Backup and stored data protection: All data is stored online these days and even a simple shopping process doesn’t happen without the aid of the internet. Data stored in various devices and uploaded online might get lost, corrupted or hacked.

Following a genuine data, protection strategy helps in restoring the lost data easily. Sometimes access to protected backups in the cloud prevents us from heeding the hacker’s request or ransomware threat. Technologies like

Are used for the data retrieval process in data protection. These technologies are expected to grow leaps and bounds in 2022 and there is a huge demand for software engineers with these skills.

  • Masking Software: Oversharing is a common problem on the current internet as hackers can cleverly extract important information from you in no time. Core details like
  • Credit card number and CVV code
  • Date of birth and place of birth
  • Full name and social security number
  • Mother maiden name and important passwords
  • Address and mobile number

Get traced very easily by hackers from social media accounts, shopping apps and food delivery apps. Masking software, which provides encrypted data for all these five types of core information, is in high demand. 2022 is expected to see a heavy rise in several private companies providing efficient data masking services. Both individuals and businesses are ready to invest in good masking software that works and fits their budget.

  • Internet monitoring and Data Filtering: Parents need to know what their children are browsing. Companies want to know whether their employees are working or just browsing the internet instead. Businesses want to know what their customers are browsing to advertise based on their interests. Parental control software, data filtration and blockage software, and internet browsing monitoring software are in huge demand since 2020. These services are collectively termed as “third-party risk management,” and several private companies are already providing such services.

The inception of online classes due to the pandemic made several parents seek parental control as a part of their data protection initiative. They did not want their kids to give away valuable information about their family and digital assets to a stranger gaming friend they met online. Companies started using such monitoring software extensively as most employees worked from home.

Monitoring what people under you do is now considered an important part of data protection. Sealing database buckets where information could leak for huge companies like Amazon is now being provided as a service by several private companies. All they do is develop effective monitoring software and check how employees use data, store and access data to pinpoint carelessness and data leak chances.

  • Government Regulations: Only 10% of the world population’s personal data was protected in 2019. Various world governments are taking effective steps to increase it to 65% by the end of 2023. The European Union passed its GDPR laws or the General Data Protection Regulation in 2018. Brazil and China – the two major countries with billions of internet users are passing the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) and Person Information Protection Law (PIPL) respectively in 2021.

The government requirement forces all types of online service providers, both big and small, to take mandatory data protection-related actions. Businesses should take care to protect their customer data and employees should strictly adhere to the data protection rules set by the company.

Any type of hacking, online scams and negligence to protect data will be punished with heavy fines under these laws. The loss of reputation and the monetary loss of the wrongdoers will be very high. The laws will force companies to avoid carelessness at all costs from 2022 when it comes to data protection.

Data Protection in Day to Day Life

No matter how hard the government tries, it is highly important for individuals to gain awareness about data protection to prevent themselves from becoming a victim. Here are some key points every person should follow to protect their data:

  1. Avoid using shady services, downloading their apps or accepting their terms and conditions.
  2. Do not trust random calls promising you unbelievably good offers. Always check whether the caller is real using Nuwber. Never disclose any private details over the phone to unknown people.
  3. Do not overshare and ensure you give out only minimal data about you on social media. Even your photos may reveal your place of living.
  4. Select banking, insurance and hospital services which are reputable, and take enough steps to protect your data.
  5. Take proper measures to protect your data even if you store it in the cloud and use effective passwords and antivirus software.

Locks and keys are not enough to stay safe anymore in the highly digitized 2022 and you might need extra protection to safeguard your personal data online. Follow the steps given here to protect your professional and personal data by investing in good data protection software that suits your needs. Educate yourself on the various data protection laws, scams and business requirements to stay safe from the prying eyes of numerous hackers making a luxurious life out of your hard-earned money.