Data at Rest

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What Does Data at Rest Mean?

In the context of data handling systems, data at rest refers to data that is being stored in stable destination systems. Data at rest is frequently defined as data that is not in use or is not traveling to system endpoints, such as mobile devices or workstations.

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Techopedia Explains Data at Rest

The idea of data at rest is important for understanding data systems. Professionals contrast that resting data with data that may be floating or traveling within a system. System designers use specific kinds of security for data at rest. In other words, once data has reached a storage destination, additional layers of security can be provided. Typical kinds of security procedures include encryption and password protection, as well as various protocols for authorizing access.

IT workers and administrators can also characterize data at rest security procedures as part of a data loss prevention (DLP) plan. Companies typically deal with issues of data leakage, data theft or other major security threats by carefully evaluating every aspect of an IT system. In addition to security for data at rest, top-level planners assess what’s called endpoint security, which builds more elaborate security structures around how end users access information from computers, mobile devices, or any other kind of hardware interface. This helps companies to minimize liability and protect their assets in a world where sensitive and valuable data is so often vulnerable to theft or improper access.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.