Types of Information

Based on Sensitivity

1. Public Data
   • Information that is not confidential and can be freely shared.
   • Examples: Marketing materials, press releases.
2. Internal/Private
   • Information intended for internal use within an organization.
   • Examples: Company policies, internal communications.
3. Confidential
   • Sensitive information that requires restricted access to authorized personnel.
   • Examples: Customer data, financial records.
4. Restricted/Highly Confidential
   • Highly sensitive information with strict access controls.
   • Examples: Trade secrets, encryption keys.

Based on Regulatory Requirements

1. PII: Personally Identifiable Information
   • PII is that, when used alone or with other relevant data, can recognize an individual.
   • E.g. Name, DOB, SSN, Passport information, biometric information, etc.
2. PHI/EPHI: Protected Health Information
   • PHI is for healthcare providers, health plans and insurers & businesses connected to health care organizations.
   • E.g. Health records/histories, lab or test results, prescriptions, patient forms, medical bills, and provider or patient communication records etc.
3. Regulated, Business, Confidential, and High-Risk Data
   • Applies to organization to consider how they treat regulated data, business data, confidential data, and high-risk data .
   • E.g. Intellectual property (IP) – including trade secrets, patents, copyrights, and trademarks, financial/health data, personal information and shadow servers, or data streams