Privacy & Security by Design

Prevention is better than cure, whether it regards our bodies, our cars, or our work.

From my Security in 60 Seconds series at iWelcome

One question

Every time you create a new process or software component, ask yourself: how might this risk our customers’ privacy or security risks further down the road? Doing so will help you to reduce tricky problems and costly changes over time, when privacy and security requirements inevitably pop up later.

It’s compliant

Designing with these risks in mind does not only make economic sense. The concept is also anchored in both privacy law and information security frameworks. That’s because businesses have learned this the hard way by reacting to data breaches rather than taking proactive control of their risk controls.

Avoid cleaning up

Now, we know better. Account for the needed safeguards as part of the minimum viable product. Don’t allow privacy and security requirements to become an afterthought once the budget has been spent. Avoid cleaning up after, design for privacy and security from the get-go!