Data anonymization in non-production environments is becoming an increasingly important issue in the context of personal data protection and meeting regulatory requirements. The process not only prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data, but also protects the company’s image and minimizes the risk of breaches. Below, we present an overview of the key elements of data anonymization process to help you prepare your business for this challenge.

Traditional testing based on artificially generated data may not provide sufficiently consistent and reliable information about the tested solution, which is why increasing number of companies are choosing to use a copy of the real-world production environment. In such cases the testers must remember that such data may include also personal data of customers, prone to certain risks. When anonymized, however, the data is no longer at risk and can be used as test data.