KatherineCattin
Quickbase Staff
Joined 6 years ago
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Introducing Data Classification
Data Classification in Quickbase We are excited to introduce new Data Classification functionality that will allow you as a Quickbase administrator to define data classifica-tions and apply these labels to your applications. Data classification is a process of grouping and labeling data based on risk categories and a bedrock of an effective information governance strategy. Data classification is a crucial practice for administrators inside of Quickbase to follow data governance methods and have improved application visibility. Why use Data Classification? Data classification is a key practice for risk mitigation and a key requirement for compliance, especially for regulated industries. As a CIO or Security Officer, classifying data into appropriate categories also allows you to more easily know where sensitive information exists in Quickbase applications. As a Quickbase Realm Administrator that cares about understanding your data and having more visibility into each application about this data, Quickbase Data Classification can now provide you with this information straight from the product. What about User & Builders? Quickbase Data Classification functionality will also provide application-level visibility to your users and builders. Your users and builders will have the ability to see the data labels and associated descriptions when they access any classified application. This will provide confidence to these users and builders, as they will better understand how to handle the data and how to adhere to data governance practices. Data Classification Best Practices As a Realm Administrator, you have the ability to customize your Data Classification list in order to appropriately label the types of data you have across your Quickbase applications. Your labels will depend on your industry and data stored in Quickbase, and may include “Confidential” or “Internal Use”, as seen in the pre-set list of labels Quickbase provides. We recommend you modify the pre-set list and customize these labels as you see fit. By default, applications will not be labeled with any classification until modified by the Realm Administrator. For more information about Data Classification see this Help Article or contact your Account Manager.Change Management and Sandbox
What is Application Change Management? Application change management includes a set of processes specific to designing and making changes in a Quickbase application. An application management strategy can help you plan how to safely change your application as business requirements change without disrupting end users. A proven strategy for these changes can also provide confidence to IT, builders, and end-users that changes are made in a safe area and without business disruption. What are the best practices of Change Management in Quick Base? Best practices include establishing a governance strategy early in the application building process regarding application changes. It is much easier to follow a change management strategy as you start to build and modify an application rather than later in the build process. A successful strategy also includes processes, tools, and individuals all working towards the same goal, including using Quickbase Sandbox as a tool to execute while building and collaborating on applications. What is Sandbox? Sandbox is a Quickbase tool that provides a safe area to build, change, verify, and release your application outside of the production environment. Sandbox is an integral part of any governance strategy regarding change management of an application. Sandbox allows builders to make their necessary changes outside of the production environment and then promote those changes after they have been tested successfully. Ultimately, Sandbox answers the question: “Have you ever made a change in production for a business-critical application and made a mistake?”. With Sandbox, you can avoid any unintended changes by first developing in this safe area and promoting to the production environment when you are ready. Why use Sandbox? Sandbox provides a safe area for builders to build, minimizing the risk of potential unintended errors and without disrupting business-critical applications. Sandbox also allows for collaboration during the change management process, as builders can grant access to stakeholders so they can provide input and verify application changes before they are live. Lastly, Sandbox helps create a process that works for you, your teams, and your IT stakeholders. As mentioned, a proven process is integral for a successful change management strategy. Where to use Sandbox. We recommend you use Sandbox on business-critical applications. Many of our customers use Sandbox to modify applications that are essential to running their businesses. We also recommend Sandbox is used on applications that are complex enough to warrant modifying in a safe environment. A simple change in an application may not warrant the use of a Sandbox. Ultimately, we recommend implementing Sandbox on applications that make sense for you and that can benefit the building process. See more about the most effective ways to use Sandbox here. For more information on how to access your Sandbox, see this Help Document or contact your Account Manager.
