The security of data is the degree to which data that are collected by a company are accurate, reliable and consistent. Data from a business has to be reliable in order to be used for analysis and decision-making.
Businesses must adhere to strict quality control procedures in order to ensure the security of data. This could include things like validation of data, standardized formats, and rigorous data cleaning procedures. Experience and expertise of data collection teams are equally important. A team with experience is more likely to follow best practices and provide reliable data. Additionally, a strong technological infrastructure and secure data storage capabilities can reduce errors that could impact the accuracy of data.
Utilizing inaccurate or inconsistent data can cause serious issues, both internally and externally. For instance the database of a company shows that the customer has $1000 in their account, but they actually have $100 due to an error in the data and this could result in financial penalties and loss of confidence. Inaccurate sensor data from manufacturing equipment may cause recalls and product defects.
Validity and reliability are both interrelated but different concepts. Validity is determined by whether the information is correct. For example, a list with duplicate or non-unique email addresses is not site web valid, and therefore cannot be used to send out marketing emails.
Reliability concerns the accuracy and consistency of that data over time — for instance, if there are two lists of customer email addresses from different sources that are similar but slightly different, it is not possible to make use of them to target the same marketing campaign since they will not be effective or will not reach the right people. For this reason, it is crucial to keep complete records of the methods employed for obtaining and altering data, to maintain transparency and integrity of information.