In today’s fast-paced, connected world, where information is at the heart of most organisations, it's more important than ever to pause and consider your security. New threats emerge daily. Industrial espionage moves out of the realms of the Hollywood thriller and into real life. Critical business data comes from a multitude of sources – your board, your customers, your strategic partners, but it often shares one important characteristic, which is that if this information is compromised the consequences can be far-reaching and severe.

Take a few minutes to consider what would be the impact if the confidentiality, integrity or availability of a key information asset was damaged? It could be a strategic plan, a customer database, a set of sensitive board minutes, a contract with a key supplier. Either way, the resulting losses can be far more than just the cost of reconstituting the data. Brand damage, regulatory sanctions, loss of customer confidence, breach of contracts, management time, human resources implications - the list goes on. The temptation is to brush these headaches away until you are faced with an incident. Often then it's too late.

Data Loss Prevention

More and more organisations are becoming victims of embarrassing data leaks that started with a simple click of the SEND button, an innocuous Instant Messaging conversation, or malicious activity from both insiders and externals who aim to use the information for illegal purposes.

Whether unintentional, intentional or malicious in nature, the consequences of information leaks can be significant. For many organisations, losing customer information isn't the only risk; intellectual property, merger and acquisition plans, product launch dates, distribution strategies and other confidential information must remain secure in order to sustain a competitive advantage.

Monitor Customer Data and Ensure Data Privacy
The strength of a business is measured by the loyalty and size of its customer base combined with a track record and future roadmap for providing quality products and services. It is no surprise then that enterprises are so concerned with protecting their customer information and intellectual property.

The repercussions of data leaks in any of these areas could result in competitors poaching customers from the data leak victim and going to market with a similar solution at lower cost. Even worse, publicity around a known data leak in these areas tarnishes the company brand and reputation and will almost certainly result in attrition of their customer base.

The results of such breaches can be far-reaching. Organizations must not only bear the expense of fines, remediation (e.g. credit monitoring, user notifications), but also any resulting loss of shareholder and customer confidence, impact on reputation, brand, stock value, and even potential criminal penalties. Dealing with a data security breach is disruptive to business and can give competitors an advantage. It does not matter whether breaches are accidental or deliberate; what matters is that the organization is perceived to have failed in its duty to care for personal and confidential information.

Why EACS?

We offer a comprehensive suite of security products and services to help keep your organisation safe. Some of the country's biggest brands and largest public sector organisations trust us with their security needs. From a comprehensive round the clock managed security service, through to best of breed products in all the areas you'd expect (such as antivirus, mail and web filtering, intrusion detection), we can help you to avoid the pain and effort associated with a security breach. 

For more information on Security/Identity Management contact us.