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The One Question That Surprised Me During a Data Engineering Talk
Last year, I had the opportunity to present to a group of middle school students about data engineering. I expected questions about coding, big data, or AI — the usual topics that get people excited about the field.
But one of the first questions I received completely caught me off guard:
“How do we protect data from cyberattacks?”
At that moment, I realized something important: Data security isn’t just a technical concern — it’s a fundamental expectation. Even before diving into the complexities of data pipelines, cloud storage, or machine learning, people intuitively understand that data needs to be protected.
Whether we’re building data platforms or educating the next generation, ensuring data security is a responsibility we all share.
Key Data Security Best Practices for Data Engineers
If you’re working with data — whether in a startup, a large enterprise, or even a personal project — it’s crucial to embed security into every stage of the data lifecycle. Here are some of the most critical best practices every data engineer should follow:
