Is Your Business Taking Steps To Avoid Data-Security Breaches?

Scan the news and it's impossible to avoid stories of data-security breaches. Hackers are more sophisticated than ever and are breaking into the online homes of banks, school districts and even giant public utilities to steal the data of these entities' customers.

It's a serious problem, and one that's not going away. Just consider the following news stories, all of which were reported within two days of each other in mid-December:

• Peoples Gas -- the largest public utility in the Chicago area -- suffered a security breach that exposed at least some of its customers' information. In a written statement, the utility said that a contracted employee may have obtained information that could be used for identity theft.
• A Swiss court sentenced a former worker at Credit Suisse bank to two years' probation for stealing confidential information from the bank. Another man charged in the same crime was found dead in his jail cell of an apparent suicide.
• In Seattle, a grand jury indicted a Maryland resident who allegedly hacked into the credit card systems of Seattle businesses and then used the money he obtained to buy heroin.

Security breaches like these can put businesses — and their clients — at risk of serious financial harm, and are almost certain to deliver a serious blow to the reputation of hacked businesses.

There are several steps that businesses can take to avoid becoming victims of data security breaches. One important step is to offer employee training that explains to employees how they should handle confidential client information to which they have access. Companies can also offer their employees periodic online Training Refreshers on information security and other compliance topics. Employees can access these refreshers at any time and from anywhere (even from smartphones and tablets), and employers can track and audit employee access 

Categories: Data Privacy & Security
Tags: Data Security