Protection of data is crucial in establishing trust with consumers as the world of technology is becoming increasingly interconnected. Businesses that excel in this area have an advantage over competitors. Customers expect that their companies will protect and safeguard their personal information. This article examines ten important principles that every business must be aware of and implement to safeguard customer data.

Personal information is the most basic form of customer information. It includes any information that can be used to directly identify an individual. This includes names, addresses and phone numbers. But, there are more sensitive types of data that can lead to serious consequences if it's in the incorrect hands, for example, the Social Security number or credit card number. SPI also includes racial and ethnic origin, sexual preference and other sensitive personal data.

SPI can be used to commit identity theft, which poses an extremely risk to the financial and personal health. Hackers can make use of this information to get loans or credit cards in the name of the victim. This could be devastating.

To minimize the risk of data breaches, businesses should limit the amount of SPI they collect and only make use of it for legitimate purposes. They should also implement encryption on their servers as well as in transit to make sure that their data isn't obtained by hackers. They should also use two-factor authentication and password management tools to lower the chance of data breaches due to compromised passwords.