In the contemporary digital world, data is simultaneously an enormous opportunity and a great liability. Organizations are inundated with information, customer information, intellectual property, financial information, and employee information, each with different levels of sensitivity and importance. Now, managing data in the modern world is no longer optional but a crucial underpinning of security, compliance, and efficiencies.
This is where TrackDek can play a key role, often overlooked, in meeting a new and modern approach to data classification tools. TrackDek has building blocks and features that support the primary goals of most modern data classification tools, helping businesses to protect, organize, and execute.
Why You Need to Classify Data in the Modern World
In a standard data management practice, all data would be treated the same, which often would lead to data being either overprotected (impeding access and delaying work) or underprotected (leaving sensitive information exposed). Modern data classification seeks to remedy all of this by:
- Identification of Sensitive Information: Understanding what data is important (PII, financial, IP).
- Data labeling: Assigning a label to data (public, internal, confidential, or restricted) that establishes handling practices.
- Controls: Applying appropriate controls (encryption, access) based on classification.
- Compliance: Meeting regulatory requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA) that require comparative classification of data.
The Role of TrackDek in Safeguarding, Organizing and Taking Action with Data
TrackDek, though it is not a data-classification engine but rather enterprise software and a tool for workflow management, contributes to robust data classification in some important ways:
1. Protect: Improvement of Information Security
Again, while TrackDek is not a data-classification engine, the way it operates will help assist with information security.
- Control Access to Work Data: TrackDek brings together and retains sensitive project data (tasks, time logs, and progress reports) in a secure, role-based access environment. Only authorized personnel (managers and project leads) would see team or project data, preventing unauthorized access.
- Reduced Data Dispersal: By providing an all-in-one task manager and time-tracking tool, an employee has less of a need to use their own unsafe processes (personal spreadsheets or public cloud) to manage work-related information.
- Audit Trails of Activity: TrackDek keeps records of user activity that provide a valuable audit trail for continued compliance. Knowledge of who accessed what project data and when is critical to your incident response plan and ensuring you are complying with continuous compliance.
2. Organize: Structuring Work-Related Information
The classification of data is only effective if the data is organized and structured. TrackDek brings order to project activity and employee activity data.
- Structured Project & Task Data: In TrackDek, every task, subtask, and project is inherently organized. They can be classified by client, department, sensitivity (for example, 'confidential client project'), and priority. The task and project data structure also makes it simple to apply classification rules to the work itself.
- Consistent Data Entry: TrackDek standardizes how employees log time spent, how employees report on task and project work, etc. As a result, the metadata is consistent. It is much easier for centralized data classification tools or data classification policies to process and classify info that is generated by human resources.
- Clear Data Segregation: If your business handles multiple clients and multiple projects, you will want your work data to be segregated in a clear manner. TrackDek segregation ensures that client A's work data is not mixed with client B's work data analysis or reporting, etc.
3. Function: Fostering Secure and Efficient Productivity
The overarching purpose of data classification is to support safe and productive work. TrackDek supports safe productivity by embedding security into daily work streams.
- Confidence in Data: When employees are aware they are working in a secure and systematic way, they can focus on their work with confidence, rather than being concerned about the integrity of their data.
- Efficient Reporting: With data sorted by projects and tasks, managers can easily pull reports about particular classified projects (e.g., "hours worked on highly classified R&D project"), creating overall performance tools for businesses.
- Workflows Risk-Aware: TrackDek's transparency abilities (e.g., ethical monitoring and randomized screenshots) create another layer of management to ensure employees are working in approved apps and approved data on classified assignments, diminishing the risk of accidentally exposing data to untrusted apps.
The TrackDek Advantage to Data Classification
TrackDek's architecture is beholden to subverting irresponsible data as it builds security and organization in the everyday act of working. It effectively works with existing data classification functionality by ensuring that your workforce is generating data in a controlled environment around structured and trackable data.
By helping you protect, organize, and perform with greater security and clarity, TrackDek empowers your business to navigate the complexities of modern data management, ensuring that your data remains an asset, not a liability.
