Data acquisition
(also DAQ)
Data acquisition definition
Data acquisition is a process that involves collecting, measuring, and storing information from various sources for further analysis or processing. It helps ensure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Usually, the gathered data is in a digital format. This is why data acquisition typically implies capturing data from external sources, such as sensors, converting it into a readable format, transmitting it through networks, and storing it for future use. However, the process can expose the data to cybersecurity risks, such as unauthorized access, tampering, leakage, or loss. Fortunately, organizations can implement measures to ensure secure data acquisitions, such as data encryption, secure communication channels, access control, authentication and authorization, network security, data integrity, security updates, patches, monitoring, and auditing.
See also: data breach, data vaulting
Data acquisition methods
- Secure remote data acquisition. Organizations collect data from remote sources, such as IoT devices, sensors, or network devices, using secure communication channels and encryption. They implement protocols like SSL/TLS and use encryption to protect the data from unauthorized access, tampering, or interception.
- Encrypted data logging. This method is useful for organizations collecting sensitive data that requires extensive protection, such as security event logging, system performance monitoring, or compliance reporting. It implies continuously recording data with encryption and secure timestamps.
- Controlled access data entry. Organizations can implement robust access control mechanisms, authentication, and authorization processes to increase the security of manual data entry. Controlled access data entry ensures that only authorized users can enter, modify, or access the data, reducing third-party threats.