Talking about cyber security and data protection is a lot light speaking about installing a traffic light at a busy intersection. No one wants to speak of it, much less spend the money on it until “X” (a number TBD) number of people have died or been maimed due to dangerous conditions at a crosswalk. For all too many businesses implementing the proper security and data systems operates under the same principle, plus many businesses think that they could never be a target for this type of activity and threat based on their size and/or products and services that they offer.
While it is easy to think this way, when you look at the most recent cyber attack against the State Department, as this article illustrates, small to mid-sized businesses often suffer the greatest losses. And we need not look any further than Yahoo as to the financial cost of this as they are close to agreeing to a settlement of $47 million dollars.
So why should you care, or be open to spend any money on detection, prevention and ongoing protection? Here are some quick reasons.
Loss of productivity due to data loss can cripple a company for days if not weeks, and quite possibly put them out of business.
If employee information is compromised, not only will this irreparably harm morale, you are likely to face lawsuits and fines.
If customer data is stolen, not only will you lose business and your prospects of expanding your business much less staying in business will be a huge challenge. And in the words of former Secretary of Labor Raymond J. Donovan, “which office do I go to get my reputation back?”
While everyone wants to save money, when it comes to cyber security and data protection, the risk-reward ratio always favors being proactive versus reactive.
The time to act is now. Even if you have systems and/or a vendor in place, please allow us to verify your protection level and/or point out any deficiencies in your systems before tragedy strikes.
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