2023 was a rough year for data security. A quick look at the biggest hacks of this year reveals some very disturbing information and trends. There were many specific hacks and data breaches that malicious actors were able to accomplish. Cybercrime skyrocketed in 2023. The rise in cybercrime was fueled largely by the continued COVID-19 pandemic and the work-from-home measures taken by countless businesses. According to one report, cybercrime increased 600%

Many of these crimes were data breaches, with 2116 data compromises in 2023. More to the point: Data breaches are expensive. IBM found that the average company had to spend $4.37 million whenever there was a data breach. As hackers become more dangerous, the cost of ransomware has increased. The average ransomware demand now totals an astonishing $6 million. In other words: Ransomware is big business. That means that your business needs to use the top data security tools that are at your disposal. 

No company was immune from these hacks and subsequent data loss. Security Magazine notes that some hacks compromised hundreds of millions of records. These hacks hit huge names in the technology, business, and financial worlds. Among the companies hit were Cognyte, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. If these companies were hacked despite the fact that they have access to the top data security tools, you must understand the danger that all businesses face. It is absolutely essential that your company be aware of potential data security issues. 

Fortunately, there is no shortage of cybersecurity tools that are available for you. These tools can protect you from malware apps, reduce the odds of cyberattacks, and ensure the safety of your computer network. When used as part of regular security auditing, they can dramatically improve the safety of your computer network.

The top data security tools for 2024 aim to protect distributed workforces, enhance cloud security and improve the security of hybrid environments. They will also protect critical infrastructure amid a chaotic and stressful pandemic. We chose these solutions based on their G2 review ratings, suitability in adapting the data security needs of 2024, and customer reviews.

Table of Contents:

  1.   HashiCorp Vault
  2.   FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall
  3.   Egnyte
  4.   Incydr
  5.   Check Point Software Technologies
  6.   Google Apigee Sense
  7.   Integrate.io and Data Security

 

1) HashiCorp Vault

HashiCorp Vault is a centralized key management solution that offers Encryption as a Service. This platform allows you to better protect sensitive data in the cloud, along with offering better visibility into your organization’s key management. Encrypting and decrypting data is a simple process through the available APIs, including UI, CLI, and HTTP. It’s FIPS 140-2 certified for organizations that need to follow specific compliance measures. It is this flexibility that helps make HashiCorp Vault one of the top data security tools.HashiCorp Vault supports using tokens, passwords, certificates, or encryption keys. Such broad support can protect your most sensitive data. It has a free trial program, so you can begin using the program and see if you like it.

HashiCorp also offers an open-source option for developers. Open source allows for expanded customization options in your business. HashiCorp also offers an extensive array of tutorials for your operating system, including use in any Windows device. 

2) FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall

Standard firewalls aren’t built for high throughput or hybrid cloud environments. When you have demanding requirements for your data center, you need a purpose-built solution that acts as the first line of defense for your network. 

FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall is a network security platform designed to protect organizations from internal and external threats in complex multi-cloud and hybrid hyper-scale data center environments. It positions itself as providing end-to-end lightning-fast security. FortiGate is quick to note that it regularly updates its antivirus and malware software. These regular updates ensure up-to-date protection. 

The advanced threat detection features of FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall include:

  • SSL inspection
  • Advanced visibility
  • Protection-at-scale
  • Deep content inspection
  • Intrusion prevention system
  • 100 Gbps throughput

3) Egnyte

Distributed workforces need access to content and other resources to do their job properly. These files may be spread throughout multiple cloud storage providers, network drives, home office computers, and countless other locations. Preventing unauthorized access to this data while allowing remote workers to access it can be a challenge without the right solution. Egnyte is a centralized business content management platform that provides data governance, administration, and security for organizations with distributed workforces and others that need similar levels of flexibility. It includes many useful features for protecting sensitive data without compromising on anytime, anywhere access to the content.

Egnyte features that improve your data security for business content include:

  • Over 30 content classification patterns for regulatory compliance
  • AI-driven security policy enforcement
  • Set granular permissions to better handle Bring Your Own Device security
  • Automatic unusual behavior detection
  • Automatic risk scoring

Egnyte has functionalities that work for multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac. 

Egnyte also has a robust API page that allows developers under-the-hood access to its programming. It’s already one of the top data security tools, but these features further enhance its impressive functionality. 

4) Incydr

Many organizations spend their time focusing on external threats. However, this isn’t enough for many work networks. Remember, you aren’t only protecting the perimeter of your network—you have to consider a broader environment. Such an environment might consist of hundreds, thousands, or millions of home offices, multi-cloud, and other complexities. 

Incydr by Code 42 is a data risk detection and response SaaS platform. It works with remote workforces and business environments focused on collaboration. In today’s post COVID-19 work environment, this is an ideal tool. Incydr is one of the top data security tools for SaaS platforms.  

This data security tool focuses specifically on internal risks. The platform evaluates the way that your organization’s data is used. From there, it determines whether concerning behavior occurs. It can help prevent “insider threats” and ensure that your network is not vulnerable to phishing-like attacks. 

The activities Incydr tracks include:

  • File creation
  • File deletion
  • File modification
  • File movement

A unique feature with Incydr is that it will flag concerning activities even if they are allowed under your current security policy. If you have a major blind spot, you can use Incydr to address these vulnerabilities and oversights.

5) Check Point Software Technologies

With more employees working from home, cloud-based email platforms offer a convenient option for keeping them in the loop. However, threats such as phishing don’t stop just because employees are at home. Check Point Software Technologies helps your organization protect cloud-based email from the cyber threats facing these platforms. If your enterprise uses either Office 365 or G Suite, you get robust cloud security protection with advanced phishing detection, malware blocking, account takeover prevention, and data protection.

Features that are included with Check Point include:

  • Threat emulation and extraction
  • User access control
  • Multifactor authentication
  • Unauthorized user blocking
  • Malicious activity identification
  • Data leak protection

6) Google Apigee Sense

APIs may introduce vulnerable attack surfaces in your organization, but they’re necessary for many modern business applications. Google Apigee Sense is an API protection tool that detects suspicious behavior on an API. It can then use its own behavior to automatically protect against an attack. This protection comes via the use of a rules-based system. The flexibility makes Apigee Sense one of the top data security tools of 2024.

When Google Apigee Sense detects a potential attack, it sends admin notifications in real-time. From there, you can act quickly to address issues without compromising the API’s user experience.

Features in Google Apigee Sense include:

  • Visual risk analytics dashboards
  • Bot ensnaring
  • Blocking and throttling
  • Intelligent risk models

Enhance Your Data Security by Cleaning and Transforming Sensitive Data with Integrate.io

These data security tools protect you against the trending cybersecurity threats coming up in 2024. You can improve your level of protection by managing the data that you use in your databases and applications. These days, such security solutions are necessary. The massive rise in remote work has required more robust vulnerability scanning and remediation of security vulnerabilities. These are features that are necessary for any of the top data security tools.

That being said, in order for your business to succeed, you need to know about more than just the top data security tools. You need to centralize your data stores, synchronize data, and enhance already existing-third party software. All of that and more can be developed with Integrate.io.  

Want to learn more? Schedule a demo with Integrate.io’s team of experts, and learn more about what Integrate.io can accomplish for you.