How To Protect Sensitive Data While Planning An Event?

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | June 1, 2023 | Promo Feature

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Data security is now top of the minds, with cases of data breaches increasing. In addition, there is also an issue of data theft among the organization, and the event industry is no exception to it. It is common knowledge that event organization houses plenty of sensitive data, including but not limited to the attendee's personal information and financial records. Therefore, event organizations, just like any firm, should proactively protect this data from theft, misuse and unauthorized access. Here are a few ways an organizer can protect sensitive data while planning an event. 

1. Limit Access To Sensitive Data 

First, the organizer must limit access to only those they can trust. In addition to restricting access, it is also recommended to ensure that one requires appropriate permission to access specific data. 

For example, attendees' personal information should be limited to only the management team, while the finance team should only access financial data. Furthermore, the organizer can monitor the IP address accessing the network to prevent a data breach. One can use What Is My IP to know the IP address of a user. With suitable software, it is possible to restrict or whitelist IP addresses for better protection. 

2. Stay Careful With Emails 

It is common for event planners to communicate over email both within the team and outside the group. Furthermore, end-to-end encryption for email is rare. Therefore, one should stay mindful of the information shared over email. In addition, one should limit the content of the email to only the required information. 

In addition to the content, one should double-check to whom they send the emails. Also, taking extra precautions is vital to ensure you never share API keys over the internet. 

3. Secure Storage And Data Transmission 

All the sensitive data related to the event should be securely stored. In addition, the mode of transmitting sensitive data should be safe. Therefore, it is crucial to have strong passwords not only for the accounts but also for the devices. Furthermore, one should encrypt the data before sharing it. 

Also, nowadays, smartphones and laptops themselves hold volumes of sensitive data. Thus, it is crucial to ensure the physical protection of the devices. Similarly, the event organizer should ensure that the services of third-party vendors are also secure. 

4. Go Paperless

According to a survey, over 60% of event planners prefer different event data for convenience. However, having this data in physical copy, even though convenient, is highly risky as it can get into the wrong hands. Therefore, one must only print the data if highly required. 

Also, if one has a physical copy of the data, it is essential to ensure the document's security. Lastly, once the data is used, it should be disposed of. 

5. Training And Education 

Event planners should educate themselves and further their team members for data security. Some good data security practices include strong passwords, avoidance of public Wi-Fi and the ability to identify phishing emails. 

Organizers should also encourage everyone to keep their operating systems and software updated. Keeping it updated is crucial as it ensures the latest security patch, reducing vulnerability. 

6. Stay Caution During The Event 

The protection of sensitive data not only happens during the planning stage but also during the event. During the event, one should not keep their smartphones, laptops and registration list unattended. Also, while using any device, one should ensure that the content on the screen is not visible to any unauthorized users. 

Lastly, one should stay cautious while discussing event details over the phone. Also, one should refrain from discussing sensitive data in a public space. 

7. Organize The Data

One of the easiest ways to ensure the security of the data is to classify and organize them based on the level of sensitivity. On this basis, one can set modification access accordingly and further work on extra layers of protection for the data with the highest sensitivity. Many organizations prefer to classify the sensitivity of the data in the following criteria: public, private, confidential and restricted. 

Lastly, the event organizer must have a plan in place in case of a data breach. It is because, despite all the precautions, it is possible for a data breach. Such a plan should include identifying the affected individuals who need to be notified.