Has Your Data Gone Rogue?

Rogue data is data that is either maintained outside of, or has simply left, the control and security measures used by your company. I have yet to meet any data professional that is comfortable with the idea that their data may have gone rogue. This is especially true whenever the subject of Cloud architecture is brought up, as security is often cited as a reason of concern with any cloud provider.

And yet, these same data professionals who recognize that rogue data is a thing to be avoided are also somewhat naive when it comes to understanding if their data may have already gone rogue.

So, I put together this very simple quiz to help you understand if your data has already gone rogue. You’re welcome.

Y  N       Do you allow tours of your data center?

Y  N       Do all employees have access to your data center?

Y  N       Do you do background checks on all employees (and contractors)?

Y  N       And their families?

Y  N       Do you follow proper change control?

Y  N       Do you do automated and monitored test restores?

Y  N       Are your server tapes stored offsite?

Y  N       Have you ever had a data breach?

Y  N       Are you sure?

Y  N       Are all workstations (and laptops) secured with encryption such as BitLocker?

Y  N       Do you allow the use of USB drives at workstations?

Y  N       Are your firewalls enabled?

Y  N       Do you have antivirus software installed on all servers and workstations?

Y  N       Do you have a formal policy for bring-your-own-device (BYOD)?

Y  N       Do you have a secure and standard ETL process?

Y  N       Can you track who is using your database?

Y  N       Can you track all changes in your database, including data modification?

Y  N       Does your database have proper security in place?

Y  N       Does your database offer encryption?

Y  N       Are you using it?

Y  N       Do you have a centrally managed and monitored password policy?

Y  N       Do you follow a separation of duties methodology?

Y  N       Do you have a data governance program?

Y  N       Do you manage privacy, security, and/or sensitivity via metadata?

Y  N       Do you have data?

Y  N       Do you allow others to use it?

ANSWER KEY: Answer each question and add up the number of “yes” responses. Then, take that number and throw it away and look at your answers to the last two questions. If you answered yes to either one, you have rogue data.