Data integrity is such a broad category of security it tends to pop up all over. When ordering from a website, for example, do you use just the part number on your order or also rely on the description and photo? The more information we gather about the thing we are ordering the more likely there will be no surprises when it arrives. On the other hand, large quantities of orders require efficiency in managing the related information. What’s the balance or trade-off?

Some companies cleverly use a simple algorithm to add descriptions to their part numbers (e.g. an eight port hub might be part#DL06-hub8). I like that method, personally, as it’s usually very simple and convenient to see if part numbers don’t match a description.

The next time you see a part number, ask yourself how you know that’s the right number for the part and how you verify the items you’re ordering are what can be expected to arrive.