Stibo Systems - The Master Data Management Company

How Master Data Management Supports Data Security

Master Data Management Blog by Stibo Systems logo
| 3 minute read
June 07 2018

Data is a powerful business enabler. You can use it to improve customer engagement, reduce time to market and increase sales—that is, if you get it into the hands of the right people, when and where they need it.

Unfortunately, we all know that data can easily fall into the hands of the wrong people. With a data-driven business environment comes an increased risk of data breaches, cyber attacks, phishing and more. If your data is fragmented and being distributed across many different systems and applications, the risk only increases.

Effective data management can help keep your data out of reach from anyone not authorized to view, edit or compromise it in any way, making it easier for you to manage data security and data control.

Here is how master data management supports your data security efforts.

MDM and Data Security


Know what data to secure

One of the first steps to securing data is to cleanse it so that you’re working with accurate and up-to-date information, and thus protecting the right data. Master data management helps you eliminate duplications and lets you manage your data from one central repository, making sure that any record created or updated in each of your contributing ERP, CRM or e-commerce systems is reflected in the central repository.

Security of data from siloed data systems is a challenge for many organizations because of its dispersed nature and inconsistent security regulation. And, because of this, the threat of a security breach is much higher.

  • 69% of healthcare organizations believe they’re at greater risk of a data breach than other industries, according to Ponemon Institutes.
  • The UK suffered as many as 40 reported data breaches in the first half of 2017, losing more than 28 million data records to hackers, with the worst affected including government, tech firms and healthcare organizations, particularly NHS trusts, according to Gemalto.

If you work in an industry where security and privacy are paramount, such as healthcare or financial services, you need to 1) know where your data is, and 2) ensure your attributes can’t be accessed.

Secure transparent business processes and workflows

With master data management in place, business users can view dashboards that report on the data cleanliness of each source system that contributes into the master data management hub, and you can introduce companywide data security practices. Here, master data management can support you with security aspects such as:

  • User authentication, ensuring information is only accessed by correct (and approved) individuals, groups or applications.
  • User authorisation, enabling you to implement role-based access by only allowing those with specific, granted privileges to gain access to certain data.
  • Access logs, providing an audit trail and time stamps to let you see who has requested, accessed, created and updated certain records. Alerts can be triggered with rule-based processes and workflows to flag insecure actions or areas that need scrutiny.

There are also solutions that let you encrypt certain areas of data, so users are prompted for a password before they can view it. And, a log can be kept of each data access to provide an even higher level of security for these attributes. 

You can even define your levels of encryption depending on whether the data is at rest or in transit.
Encryption at rest protects your data from a system compromise or data extraction to another computer, while it is stored, while an encryption in transit protects your data if communications are intercepted while data moves between your site and another system.

Do not let data security slow down your processes

The problem with tight security is that it can delay your users from reaching the data they require to do their work. Currently, do your users need to put in a request to gain access to certain data? And, does it take far too long for the relevant people to grant approval?

Master Data Management platforms can help you overcome this because they allow you to implement role-based security policies. These can relate to data subsets and be defined through custom-built data workflows.

You can define group and user level access rights to any data object type. You can also apply rules to restrict actions on specific areas of data. This makes it easier to define precise privilege and access rules that are not too restrictive but still provide an acceptable level of security.

Align your security processes with data governance

Data security management should go hand in hand with your data governance policies. Why? Because your organization’s governance structure should cover the management of your data assets as well as the security access you give users.

Are the security parameters you set for your users in line with the regulatory compliance rules that apply to your data assets? You may not only have thousands of users on an internal network; you may also deal directly on the public Internet.

Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure that no vulnerabilities can be exploited by external parties trying to gain access to your data. This means taking a proactive approach to data management to help build a more secure environment for the future.


Topics: 
Master Data Management Blog by Stibo Systems logo

Martin Samuel Nielsen is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Stibo Systems. Martin, who has worked with information security in some of Northern Europe’s biggest companies, including Vestas and Velux, has a great passion for making data protection and information security an integral part of the daily business processes. He holds several personal information security certifications, such as CISA, ESL, CISSP, CISM and CRISC. Martin is also the leading force behind Stibo Systems’ ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, the international standard outlining best practices for information security management.

Discover Blogs by Topic

  • MDM strategy
  • Customer and party data
  • Retail and distribution
  • See more
  • Data governance
  • Manufacturing
  • Supplier data
  • Data quality
  • Product data and PIM
  • AI and machine learning
  • CPG
  • Financial services
  • GDPR
  • Sustainability
  • Location data
  • PDX Syndication

Data Governance Trends 2024

1/30/24

NRF 2024 Recap: In the AI era, better data can make all the difference

1/19/24

Building Supply Chain Resilience: Strategies & Examples

12/19/23

How Master Data Management Can Enhance Your ERP Solution

12/14/23

Shedding Light on Climate Accountability and Traceability in Retail

11/29/23

What is Smart Manufacturing and Why Does it Matter?

10/11/23

Future Proof Your Retail Business with Composable Commerce

10/9/23

5 Common Reasons Why Manufacturers Fail at Digital Transformation

10/5/23

How to Digitally Transform a Restaurant Chain

9/29/23

Three Benefits of Moving to Headless Commerce and the Role of a Modern PIM

9/14/23

12 Steps to a Successful Omnichannel and Unified Commerce

7/6/23

CGF Global Summit 2023: Unlock Sustainable Growth With Collaboration and Innovation

7/5/23

Navigating the Current Challenges of Supply Chain Management

6/28/23

Responsible AI relies on data governance

5/11/23

Product Data Management during Mergers and Acquisitions

4/6/23

Master Data Management Definitions: The Complete A-Z of MDM

3/14/23

4 Ways to Reduce Ecommerce Returns

3/8/23

Asset Data Governance is Central for Asset Management

3/1/23

Digital Product Passports

2/24/23

4 Common Master Data Management Implementation Styles

2/21/23

How to Leverage Internet of Things with Master Data Management

2/14/23

Manufacturing Trends and Insights in 2023-2025

2/14/23

Sustainability in Retail Needs Governed Data

2/13/23

What is Augmented Data Management?

2/9/23

NRF 2023: Retail Turns to AI and Automation to Increase Efficiencies

1/20/23

What is the difference between CPG and FMCG?

1/18/23

8 Best Practices for Customer Master Data Management

1/16/23

5 Key Manufacturing Challenges in 2023

1/16/23

What is a Golden Customer Record in Master Data Management?

1/9/23

The Future of Master Data Management: Trends in 2023-2025

1/8/23

Innovation in Retail

1/4/23

5 CPG Industry Trends and Opportunities for 2023-2025

12/5/22

Life Cycle Assessment Scoring for Food Products

11/21/22

Retail of the Future

11/14/22

Omnichannel Strategies for Retail

11/7/22

Hyper-Personalized Customer Experiences Need Multidomain MDM

11/5/22

What is Omnichannel Retailing and What is the Role of Data Management?

10/25/22

Most Common ISO Standards in the Manufacturing Industry

10/18/22

How to Get Started with Master Data Management: 5 Steps to Consider

10/17/22

What is Supply Chain Analytics and Why It's Important

10/12/22

What is Data Quality and Why It's Important

10/12/22

A Data Monetization Strategy - Get More Value from Your Master Data

10/11/22

What Is Master Data Governance – And Why You Need It?

10/7/22

An Introductory Guide: What is Data Intelligence?

10/1/22

Revolutionizing Manufacturing: 5 Must-Have SaaS Systems for Success

9/15/22

An Introductory Guide to Supplier Compliance

9/7/22

What is Application Data Management and How Does It Differ From MDM?

8/29/22

Digital Transformation in the Manufacturing Industry

8/25/22

Master Data Management Framework: Get Set for Success

8/17/22

Discover the Value of Your Data: Master Data Management KPIs & Metrics

8/15/22

Master Data Management Roles and Responsibilities

7/17/22

Supplier Self-Service: Everything You Need to Know

6/15/22

Omnichannel vs. Multichannel: What’s the Difference?

6/14/22

Digital Transformation in the CPG Industry

6/14/22

Create a Culture of Data Transparency - Begin with a Solid Foundation

6/10/22

The 5 Biggest Retail Trends for 2023-2025

5/31/22

What is a Location Intelligence?

5/31/22

Omnichannel Customer Experience: The Ultimate Guide

5/30/22

Location Analytics – All You Need to Know

5/26/22

Omnichannel Commerce: Creating a Seamless Shopping Experience

5/24/22

Top 4 Data Management Trends in the Insurance Industry

5/11/22

What is Supply Chain Visibility and Why It's Important

5/1/22

6 Features of an Effective Master Data Management Solution

4/30/22

What is Digital Asset Management?

4/23/22

The Ultimate Guide to Data Transparency

4/21/22

How Manufacturers Can Shift to Product-as-a-Service Offerings

4/20/22

How to Check Your Enterprise Data Foundation

4/16/22

An Introductory Guide to Manufacturing Compliance

4/14/22

Multidomain MDM vs. Multiple Domain MDM

3/31/22

Making Master Data Accessible: What is Data as a Service (DaaS)?

3/29/22

How to Build a Successful Data Governance Strategy

3/23/22

What is Unified Commerce? Key Advantages & Best Practices

3/22/22

How to Choose the Right Data Quality Tool?

3/22/22

What is a Data Domain?

3/21/22

6 Best Practices for Data Governance

3/17/22

5 Advantages of a Master Data Management System

3/16/22

A Unified Customer View: What Is It and Why You Need It

3/9/22

Supply Chain Challenges in the CPG Industry

2/24/22

Data Migration to SAP S/4HANA ERP - The Fast and Safe Approach with MDM

2/17/22

The Best Data Governance Tools You Need to Know About

2/17/22

Top 5 Most Common Data Quality Issues

2/14/22

What Is Synthetic Data and Why It Needs Master Data Management

2/10/22

What is Cloud Master Data Management?

2/8/22

How to Implement Data Governance

2/7/22

Build vs. Buy Master Data Management Software

1/28/22

Why is Data Governance Important?

1/27/22

Five Reasons Your Data Governance Initiative Could Fail

1/24/22

How to Turn Your Data Silos Into Zones of Insight

1/21/22

How to Improve Supplier Experience Management

1/16/22

​​How to Improve Supplier Onboarding

1/16/22

How to Enable a Single Source of Truth with Master Data Management

1/13/22

What is a Data Quality Framework?

1/11/22

How to Measure the ROI of Master Data Management

1/11/22

What is Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS)?

1/7/22

The Ultimate Guide to Building a Data Governance Framework

1/4/22

Introducing the Master Data Management Maturity Model

1/3/22

Master Data Management Tools - and Why You Need Them

12/20/21

The Dynamic Duo of Data Security and Data Governance

12/20/21

How to Choose the Right Supplier Management Solution

12/20/21

How Data Transparency Enables Sustainable Retailing

12/6/21

What is Supplier Performance Management?

12/1/21

What is Party Data? All You Need to Know About Party Data Management

11/28/21

What is Data Compliance? An Introductory Guide

11/18/21

How to Create a Marketing Center of Excellence

11/14/21

The Complete Guide: How to Get a 360° Customer View

11/7/21

What is the Difference Between Master Data and Metadata?

11/1/21

How Location Data Adds Value to Master Data Projects

10/29/21

How Marketers Should Prepare for the 2023 Holiday Shopping Season

10/26/21

What is Supplier Lifecycle Management?

10/19/21

What is a Data Mesh? A Simple Introduction

10/15/21

How to Build a Master Data Management Strategy

9/26/21

10 Signs You Need a Master Data Management Platform

9/2/21

What Vendor Data Is and Why It Matters to Manufacturers

8/31/21

3 Reasons High-Quality Supplier Data Can Benefit Any Organization

8/25/21

4 Trends in the Automotive Industry

8/11/21

What is Reference Data and Reference Data Management?

8/9/21

What Obstacles Are Impacting the Global Retail Recovery?

8/2/21

GDPR as a Catalyst for Effective Data Governance

7/25/21

All You Need to Know About Supplier Information Management

7/21/21

5 Tips for Driving a Centralized Data Management Strategy

7/3/21

Data Governance and Data Protection, a Match Made in Heaven?

6/29/21

Welcome to the Decade of Transparency

5/26/21

How to Become a Customer-Obsessed Brand

5/12/21

How to Create a Master Data Management Roadmap in Five Steps

4/27/21

What is a Data Catalog? Definition and Benefits

4/13/21

How to Improve the Retail Customer Experience with Data Management

4/8/21

How to Improve Your Data Management

3/31/21

How to Choose the Right Master Data Management Solution

3/29/21

Business Intelligence and Analytics: What's the Difference?

3/25/21

Spending too much on Big Data? Try Small Data and MDM

3/24/21

What is a Data Lake? Everything You Need to Know

3/21/21

How to Extract More Value from Your Data

3/17/21

Are you making decisions based on bad HCO/HCP information?

2/24/21

Why Master Data Cleansing is Important to CPG Brands

1/20/21

CRM 2.0 – It All Starts With Master Data Management

12/19/20

5 Trends in Telecom that Rely on Transparency of Master Data

12/15/20

10 Data Management Trends in Financial Services

11/19/20

Seasonal Marketing Campaigns: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

11/8/20

What Is a Data Fabric and Why Do You Need It?

10/29/20

Transparent Product Information in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

10/14/20

How to Improve Back-End Systems Using Master Data Management

9/19/20

8 Benefits of Transparent Product Information for Medical Devices

9/1/20

How Retailers Can Increase Online Sales in 2023

8/23/20

Master Data Management (MDM) & Big Data

8/14/20

Key Benefits of Knowing Your Customers

8/9/20

Women in Master Data: Kelly Amavisca, Ferguson

8/5/20

Customer Data in Corporate Banking Reveal New Opportunities

7/21/20

How to Analyze Customer Data With Customer Master Data Management

7/21/20

How to Improve Your 2023 Black Friday Sales in 5 Steps

7/18/20

4 Ways Product Information Management (PIM) Improves the Customer Experience

7/18/20

How to Estimate the ROI of Your Customer Data

7/1/20

Women in Master Data: Rebecca Chamberlain, M&S

6/24/20

How to Personalise Insurance Solutions with MDM

6/17/20

How to Democratize Your Data

6/3/20

How to Get Buy-In for a Master Data Management Solution

5/25/20

How CPG Brands Manage the Impact of Covid-19 in a Post-Pandemic World

5/18/20

5 Steps to Improve Your Data Syndication

5/7/20

Women in Master Data: Gwen Moilanen-Kollar

3/31/20

Marketing Data Quality: Why Is It Important and How to Get Started

3/26/20

Panic Buying: Navigating Long-term Implications and Uncertainty

3/24/20

Women in Master Data: Ditte Brix, IMPACT

2/20/20

Get More Value From Your CRM With Customer Master Data Management

2/17/20

Women in Master Data: Nagashree Devadas, Stibo Systems

2/4/20

How to Create Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Success for CPG Brands

1/3/20

Women in Master Data: Anna Schéle, Ahlsell

10/25/19

Women in Master Data: Morgan Lawrence, Infoverity

9/26/19

Women in Master Data: Sara Friberg, Acando (Part of CGI)

9/13/19

Improving Product Setup Processes Enhances Superior Experiences

8/21/19

How to Improve Your Product's Time to Market With PDX Syndication

7/18/19

8 Tips For Pricing Automation In The Aftermarket

6/1/19

How to Drive Innovation With Master Data Management

3/15/19

Discover PDX Syndication to Launch New Products with Speed

2/27/19

How to Benefit from Product Data Management

2/20/19

What is a Product Backlog and How to Avoid It

2/13/19

How to Get Rid of Customer Duplicates

2/7/19

4 Types of IT Systems That Should Be Sunsetted

1/3/19

How to Use Customer Data Modeling

11/15/18

How to Reduce Time-to-Market with Master Data Management

10/28/18

How to Start Taking Advantage of Your Data

9/12/18

6 Signs You Have a Potential GDPR Problem

8/16/18

GDPR: The DOs and DON’Ts of Personal Data

6/13/18

How Master Data Management Supports Data Security

6/7/18

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the GDPR

5/30/18

Understanding the Role of a Chief Data Officer

4/26/18

3 Steps: How to Plan, Execute and Evaluate Any IoT Initiative

2/20/18

How to Benefit From Customer-Centric Data Management

9/7/17

3 Ways to Faster Innovation with Multidomain Master Data Management

6/7/17

Product Information Management Trends to Consider

5/25/17

4 Major GDPR Challenges and How to Solve Them

5/12/17

How to Prepare for GDPR in Five Steps

2/21/17

How Data Can Help Fight Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals

1/24/17

Create the Best Customer Experience with a Customer Data Platform

1/11/17
Did you like this blog post?

Sign up to get the latest blog content in your inbox.