Certification Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 28) Want to learn more about data administration? Just search the term at CertScope, CertMag.com’s search engine, and you’ll find hundreds of articles and Web sites on the topic. In addition, organizations and businesses that share data by sending extracts from their systems face an increased risk of exposure any time they send information beyond their network firewalls. This common method of data sharing has been responsible for a large percentage of public security breaches. Organizations that access and use sensitive information (e.g., hospitals, financial institutions or law enforcement agencies) face the greatest potential damage in the event of any loss or breach in data integrity. One of the most important measures an organization can take to maintain privacy and security of data is to use technology to institute and enforce a minimal use principle for data access, which means people have access only to the data they need to execute their tasks — no more, no less. Robust CDI Solves the Problem Comprehensive CDI systems identify, link and synchronize customer information across systems, sources and external lists to create integrated customer data from disparate applications and data sources. CDI systems access and compare similar records about a specific customer, eliminate duplicates, evaluate possible errors and link them to form a single accurate version of a record, which can help improve customer service, streamline business processes and enhance delivery of services. Creating one accurate version of a record enables organizations to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the information they provide to avoid cases of mistaken identity that could cause personal embarrassment and hardship for the parties involved, not to mention the potential expense of litigation pursued by dissatisfied clients and angry individuals. The most comprehensive CDI solutions provide data management solutions that enable organizations to comply with stringent security and privacy regulations while allowing continued on-demand, real-time data sharing with employees and customers. CDI models, which allow organizations to publish real-time data-sharing services while maintaining control over what information is seen and by whom, are much safer than the commonly used extractand-transport method — with the extract-andtransport method, once an extract of data leaves an organization’s firewall, the owning organization loses control. To support this safer method, CDI systems and data administrators must know where all the data in the enterprise reside so they can examine individual records and enforce appropriate security rules. With this awareness, a CDI administrator can centrally manage and enforce policies, regardless of where the data have been collected, generated, used and stored. This capability enables a CDI system to serve as the foundation for comprehensive security and privacy control within an entire enterprise or organization. The most robust solutions also provide multilevel security to control access to information down to the attribute level (such as Social Security number, blood type, credit rating and specific information that only designated representatives may be permitted to access). Such systems track additions and changes to optin/opt-out lists and other laws that govern privacy and security, ensuring information is used appropriately, according to individual choices, and that these choices are readily accessible at all customer contact points within the enterprise. Advanced capabilities include the ability to ensure compliance with the most comprehensive systems that provide special tools for setting user and group permissions. Other tools enable administrators to limit the number and type of attributes about a customer that can be viewed at a given time. Only the information needed for a given customer interaction is revealed in accordance with privacy, access control, data ownership and other company policies. Comprehensive CDI systems also monitor and log changes and additions to customer records, and they track factors such as the reason, time and search results. This enables organizations to catch errors before they cause problems. 28 CERTIFICATION MAGAZINE September 2007 http://www.CertMag.com
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