The rise of technology influences the protection of data security for each stage of its lifecycle. An organization must choose a data protection procedure to ensure the safety of data. It includes data masking and data encryption. People think that data encryption is a part of masking. However, it’s not true. In this blog, you’ll understand the difference between these two data protection methods and which one is ideal for you.
What is Data Masking and When to Use It?
Data masking is a part of data security that hides the original data with the help of modified content. The main reason for masking is to ensure the protection of sensitive personal data and commercially sensitive data. Static data masking in the process where important data stay secured in the original environment. Meanwhile, in dynamic data masking, IT departments secure data with the help of automation and rules.
Pros of Data Masking
You can protect your data privacy and integrity effectively with the help of data masking. It can guide you to replace or hide sensitive information with realistic data. In addition, it mitigates the risk of data breaches and leaks. For unauthorized parties, masking data has no value. Therefore, it furnishes you with representative data that are realistic without exposing real data. It improves the data collaboration process efficiently.
Cons of Data Masking
Despite being numerous advantages, data masking has a few limitations. You have to plan and design carefully. Otherwise, the masked data may not fulfill the requirements of the business and technical expertise. Sometimes, masking data may generate errors that lead to poor data quality and consistency. Later, it creates a negative impact on the scalability and performance of the data processing and analysis.
What is Data Encryption and When to Use It?
Data transcription refers to the process of evolving data into an unreadable format. Secret keys or algorithms are the prime features of this method. A decryption key may required to convert the data into readable format. It is used to ensure a safeguard of sensitive data. It includes personally identifiable information (PII), payment card information (PCI), and financial account numbers.
Pros of Data Encryption
Data encryption is beneficial as it provides a high level of security for your data. In addition, it prevents unauthorized access even if the data is stolen or lost. It preserves your data in a structured and original format. Therefore, you can use it without losing its functionality and
performance. Data encryption assists you in fulfilling legal requirements, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
Cons of Data Encryption
Data encryption also has a few limitations regarding sensitive data discovery and other reasons. You need additional resources or have to bear costs for implementation and maintenance. Sometimes it creates a complex situation in risk and data management. Thus, it creates a negative impact on the speed and efficiency of data analysis and processing. In certain cases, you may need extra tools for the decryption of data.
Which One is Better?
Both data masking and encryption assist organizations to remain compliant. These tools help them in mitigating the chance of data leakage. Choose encryption if you just want to transfer sensitive data. Meanwhile, go for masking if you want to use data sets without exposing real data.
In summary, data masking hides your data with modified content. Meanwhile, data encryptions encode the original data into unreadable text. Both have different advantages and disadvantages. However, choosing the right solutions depends on your business needs and data quality. For a comprehensive data protection solution, contact Solix Technologies today. Whether you want data encryption or masking, we’ve got you covered.