Security Alert – Are You Protected?…Are you SURE?

It happened at Stanford University in July. At Facebook in June. At GoDaddy in May.  We’re talking about data breaches, and it’s more than just company financial records at risk. Indeed, the April breach of LivingSocial.com involved the release of more than 50 million customer names, email addresses, birth dates and encrypted passwords. If anything, this barrage of cyber attacks clearly demonstrates the vulnerability of modern business operations.

But it’s not just large businesses paying the price. Small businesses are especially vulnerable to data theft because they generally do not have robust security systems in place to prevent such attacks.

How much security protection does a business need? Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. According to IBM, the right solution (or combination of solutions) depends on several factors, including:

▪ Your industry. Are you in an industry that is entrusted with personal data, i.e. financial services or healthcare? Are there regulations dictating how data must be handled? You may need to take further precautions to protect certain types of data.

▪ The type of workloads/data. Which workloads are truly essential for business continuity? Which databases or files contain information that could cripple your company if it were hacked? Focus your attention here first.

▪ Your image or reputation. If your e-commerce site is attacked (a la Living Social), will it become headline news? If customer data is leaked, will your competitors use it against you? In conducting your risk assessment, consider how your company may suffer publicly from a data breach.

Enlisting professional help can certainly improve your odds of preventing an attack. Small businesses can limit their risk by signing on with internet-based, data-security company, or a managed service provider that will maintain and secure the company’s systems remotely. Either way, the provider will be responsible for encrypting data, updating firewalls, backing up your files and making sure everything’s running smoothly.

These days, leaving your business security to chance is not an option. Just a small amount of effort can save you time, money and your reputation.

Protecting your digital assets is a major concern for people and businesses. Entrepreneur.com has a great article on four security best practices that you can adopt today. Or simply contact us — we offer comprehensive security solutions designed ensure that all of your data remains protected at all time.