Data activity monitoring lets you track how employees interact with sensitive info in apps like Slack or Microsoft Teams. You set up triggers for odd behavior and follow a plan to stop internal threats before they become expensive breaches.

The HIPAA Journal says that consumers reported 725 data breaches in 2023 alone. These incidents exposed more than 133 million records, showing the importance of monitoring data activity. Using information governance software and setting up effective policies can help you manage risks.

What Is Data Activity Monitoring?

It involves tracking user behavior across digital platforms to find unauthorized access. Effective data monitoring ensures everyone adheres to your rules without slowing down work.

Most legal teams deal with complex data silos. You might handle email well, but your internal investigations will stall when evidence hides in Slack or Zoom.

A solid activity monitoring approach fixes the issue. You'll be able to pull activities from different apps into a single searchable view. Doing so allows you to spot specific patterns and protects your business from risks.

You can use information governance tools to identify these patterns in real time. If a user suddenly exports a large code folder, the system flags it. You can act quickly rather than waiting for a disaster.

What Is the Purpose of Data Monitoring?

To maintain a high standard for digital communications governance across your company. Data monitoring keeps you compliant with privacy laws. It also stops accidental leaks. When you understand how information flows, you'll make better decisions about who has access to files.

While data monitoring is great for online security, it's also beneficial to legal teams. You can quickly generate actionable data insights during a crisis if your records are clean.

Make your data work for you by using our platform to tailor data alerts so you only see what matters. Find exactly what you need in seconds and turn data silos into a resource you can control.

Mapping Your Escalation Model for Action

A monitoring system won't be effective if alerts sit in an inbox. You need a playbook to ensure serious issues reach the right people immediately.

Security Triggers

The first line of defense is your security operations center. When a data monitoring tool flags an event, analysts check if the threat is a hack or normal behavior.

If you're dealing with stolen logins, your security team can handle it. However, you need to move to a legal review if a trusted employee does something odd, like sharing sensitive documents with unauthorized parties.

Building Legal Escalation Paths

Once you confirm a behavioral risk, follow your legal escalation paths. Bring in HR or legal to see if the act breaks company policy. A pre-set list of contacts prevents panic. It ensures nobody oversteps their authority.

Preserving the Evidence

Preserving evidence is critical in legal matters. You must lock down messages and files to stop tampering. You can place a legal hold on data in Onna without alerting the user. Keep your internal investigation quiet as you prepare the evidence for court.

Operationalize Data Alerts Through Better Filtering

Many teams fail to prevent breaches because they focus on everything rather than high-risk areas. A good security escalation strategy needs high-quality alerts. Tune your system to ignore safe acts but raise urgent alerts about high-risk moves.

Use your system to filter out things such as an HR manager opening payroll. Stay on top of suspicious activity, like a sales rep downloading the entire client list on a Sunday. Focusing on critical risks helps prevent alert fatigue and keeps your team vigilant.

Tips for Strengthening Your Governance Strategy

A lot of work in the modern workplace happens on the cloud, so your oversight must live there too. Old tools only scan local drives, which means you can miss the vast majority of your company's actual conversations. Develop a strategy aligning with the needs of a modern workplace.

Capture Complete Context

Messages are more than just text. Your strategy must account for things such as:

• Emojis
• Reactions
• Attachments

Understand the true intent behind a conversation once you factor these items into your review. Run successful internal investigations by having access to the before and after of deleted or edited messages.

Eliminate Risky Data

Unused and unmanaged information creates hidden risk for your business. Use information governance software to identify and delete data you no longer need for legal or business reasons. You can reduce the likelihood of a breach by shrinking your data footprint.

Centralize Your Search

Logging into multiple admin consoles to find one file is a waste of time. Connect your apps with a single API and centralize your data in a single searchable archive. You get a better view of your digital footprint and conduct investigations faster when you have unified systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does Monitoring Help With Compliance?

It creates a trail. Organizations such as the State Securities Regulators need to know how you control your data. You can use your information governance software reports to prove you monitor for leaks. Such proof is critical during audits because it shows you take your duties seriously.

What Is the Biggest Risk in Data Activity?

The insider threat. Any employee who misuses or accesses data without authorization puts your company at significant risk. Those who send messages to their personal email addresses or to others without verifying the recipient's address create security holes.

You can spot such employees and offer them training by monitoring data activity.

Does Monitoring Invade Employee Privacy?

No. Effective monitoring looks at business data, not your employees' lives. Set data monitoring rules for the following items:

• Specific keywords
• Company file types
• Unusual download volumes
• Changes to security settings
• Repeated failed login attempts

Your employees will feel better when they know the goal is to protect the company.

Master Data Activity Monitoring

Data activity monitoring is crucial for the success of modern businesses. Be in a stronger position by connecting security triggers to escalation paths. Access your data silos during your reviews with a few clicks using an integrated software solution.

Gain more visibility into your data and mitigate risks with Onna. Innovative organizations like Dropbox, Buzzfeed, and Oracle trust our solutions for managing data in digital workspace tools. Schedule a demo today to streamline information governance.