These days the concepts of big data and automation are inextricably linked. In many ways, they're two sides of the same coin. Big data provides the vast quantities of training materials that make today's AI-powered automation solutions work. And automation is the only way that massive data sets can readily be managed and curated.

But it's not uncommon for the idea of data security to get lost in the shuffle. By that, I mean that businesses don't give that much thought to how the data passing through their automation solutions is kept safe. And that's curious when you consider that data security is yet another area where automation technology can be so beneficial. To illustrate the point, here are three simple ways automation can improve data security and help maintain data privacy and compliance.

Automating Credential Management

When it comes to keeping data safe, maintaining visibility into data access and managing who has access is essential. And that makes credential management a major factor in data security. And you don't have to look far for proof of that. Year after year, Verizon's Data Breach Investigation Report finds that credentials are the number one type of data that malicious actors steal each year. That's because stealing a batch of credentials can allow an attacker access to even more sensitive information elsewhere.

But companies can — and should — be applying automation to their credential management processes as a way to improve their performance. For example, they can automate credential checks against known data breach databases to identify potentially compromised credential sets. And, they can also automate their PKI management to keep digital identity certificates up to date and secure at all times.

Automating DSARs and Related Changes

Another way that businesses can apply automation to their data security and management processes is to automate their Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR). Those are the instances when the subject of a given data set — like customers or other businesses — request access to or information about data that pertains to them. As a part of the DSAR process, they may also request that their data be purged or otherwise curtailed.

Needless to say, this is a labor-intensive process. But it's necessary to stay compliant with GDPR as well as with the more recent CCPA. Automating that process adds some certainty to it — and relieves the significant burden that compliance poses. Plus, it minimizes liability for consumer data by cutting down on how much there is to protect. And at the end of the day, businesses are better off telling consumers their data's been purged rather than coaching them on signs someone has stolen your identity in the aftermath of a breach.

Automating Third-Party Access Governance

Last but not least, businesses can and should be using automation to help them manage third-party access to their systems and data. The reason for that is simple: it's a massive and growing area of concern when it comes to data security. A recent estimate suggests that as many as 51% of organizations have fallen victim to a data breach due to third-party access. And for many of them, it happened because they lost control and visibility into the provisioning process.

But automating third-party access can help cut down on that risk. By leaving access provisioning to an automated system, the odds of so-called "zombie accounts" drop dramatically. Those aptly-named accounts happen when administrators fail to revoke access — often to third-party vendors and networks — when that access is no longer needed. It also makes it far simpler to maintain visibility into third-party data and network access because it removes the chance of human error or omissions in the provisioning record.

The Takeaway

Put simply, the sheer complexity and scope involved in the typical business's data security efforts make automation all but a requirement. Much like managing the incomprehensibly large data sets themselves, it's too big of a task to be left up to manual processes and human interventions. And given that there are so many ways automation can already improve the situation this is an idea whose time has more than come. The proceeding three areas where automation makes a natural fit within the realm of data security are only the beginning — and businesses should begin examining their own needs and the automated solutions that could serve them without delay.