
Bugs, viruses/malware, hacking, and other cyber threats.Transfer errors, including unintended alterations or data compromise during transfer from one device to another.Human error, whether malicious or unintentional.Data integrity may be compromised through: Therefore, data integrity is a top priority for modern enterprises.ĭata integrity can be compromised in a variety of ways, making data integrity practices an essential component of effective enterprise security protocols.

Protecting the validity and accuracy of data also increases stability and performance while improving reusability and maintainability.ĭata increasingly drives enterprise decision-making, but it must undergo a variety of changes and processes to go from raw form to formats more practical for identifying relationships and facilitating informed decisions. For one, data integrity ensures recoverability and searchability, traceability (to origin), and connectivity. Maintaining data integrity is important for several reasons. For instance, error checking and validation methods may be referred to as data integrity processes. On the other hand, data integrity as a process, describes measures used to ensure validity and accuracy of a data set or all data contained in a database or other construct. Data integrity as a state defines a data set that is both valid and accurate. The term data integrity also leads to confusion because it may refer either to a state or a process. DATA INTEGRITY AS A PROCESS AND AS A STATE Error checking methods and validation procedures are typically relied on to ensure the integrity of data that is transferred or reproduced without the intention of alteration. Each time data is replicated or transferred, it should remain intact and unaltered between updates. For this reason, maintaining data integrity is a core focus of many enterprise security solutions.ĭata integrity can be compromised in several ways.

Compromised data, after all, is of little use to enterprises, not to mention the dangers presented by sensitive data loss. A DEFINITION OF DATA INTEGRITYĭata integrity refers to the accuracy and consistency (validity) of data over its lifecycle.
INTEGRITY DEFINITION JOB SCITE SERIES
data security, and more in Data Protection 101, our series on the fundamentals of data protection. Learn about data integrity, data integrity vs.
