To initiate the management of access control and permissions, your initial action should involve categorizing your data based on its sensitivity and significance. This process of data classification is pivotal in determining the requisite level of safeguarding and the specific access control measures applicable to each dataset. For instance, a straightforward classification system might encompass designations such as “public,” “internal,” “confidential,” and “restricted,” guided by the assessment of exposure risk and potential consequences. In this hierarchy, public data, being the least sensitive, is open to access by all, while restricted data, being the most sensitive, is exclusively accessible to a select group of authorized individuals.