A-Z of data protection - B is for ...

A-Z of data protection: terms you need to know

B

big data
• extremely large sets of data characterised by the three Vs – volume (the amount of information), velocity (the speed at which information is collected) and variety (the form and type of information)
• often used by organisations to guide product or policy design, to improve market offerings, to ensure customer satisfaction and more
• some sources of big data include information gathered from mobile apps or other devices, information shared on social media, data acquired through questionnaires or forms, electronic check-ins and more

biometrics
• intrinsic and behavioural characteristics which can be used to identify an individual
• examples include fingerprints, retina and iris patterns, voice, face, keystroke technique, handwriting, gait and DNA

bring your own device (BYOD)
• use of employees’ personal devices for work
• an internal BYOD policy is needed to reduce the risks which come with use of personal devices

browser fingerprinting
• the process of collecting data from a user’s browser configuration when a user visits a website(s)
• the data collected results in a “browser fingerprint”, which can be used to identify users and track their online behaviour

business continuity plan or planning (BCP)
• a system which specifies what must be done to prevent, respond, and recover from a disaster to ensure the continuity of business operations
• part of a company’s risk management strategy for threats such as natural disasters and cyber attacks

Also known as: business continuity management

business intelligence
• the procedures, tools, and infrastructure utilised by a company to collect, store, and analyse its data to make more data-driven decisions
• includes data mining, process analysis, data visualisation, performance benchmarking and descriptive analytics