The security of data is the degree to which the data obtained by a business are accurate, reliable and reliable and consistent. Data from a business must be reliable to be used in analysis and decision-making.
Businesses must adhere to strict quality control procedures in order to ensure the reliability of data. These can include things like data validation checks, standard formats and thorough data cleaning procedures. Expertise and experience of the data collection teams is also important. A knowledgeable team is more likely to adhere to best practices and provide reliable data. Similarly, adequate technology infrastructure and secure storage capabilities can prevent errors that could impact data reliability.
Incorrect or inaccurate data can result in serious issues both internally and externally. A data error can cause a company’s data to show that a customer’s accounts have $100 when in reality it’s $1000. This can lead to financial penalties and losing confidence. Inaccurate sensor data from manufacturing equipment may also lead to recalls and product defects.
Validity and reliability could be related, but they are two different concepts. Validity is about whether the data you have is correct – for example an inventory of customers email addresses that are not unique or that contain duplicate entries indicates that the list doesn’t have validity and can’t be relied upon to send out marketing emails.
Reliability is about the consistency and accuracy of that data over time – for instance, if you have two lists of customers’ email addresses from different sources that are the same, but slightly different, you can’t make use of them for an individual marketing campaign since they won’t be effective or will not reach the right people. Because of this, it is crucial to keep complete records of the methods employed for obtaining and altering data, to maintain transparency and integrity of data.