Data breaches can be incredibly expensive for businesses. According to the IBM Security 2022 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the global cost of one breach is now $4.35 million, up 2.6% from last year–and this doesn’t even take into account all the other costs associated with a data breach, such as loss of customer trust, loss of revenue, and damage to brand reputation.
No business wants to suffer a data breach–but unfortunately, it’s difficult to completely avoid them. In fact, approximately 83% of organizations have experienced more than one data breach in recent years. To minimize the costly effects of a data breach, businesses should take steps to strengthen their security.
- Consider a Hybrid Cloud ☁️ – Organizations should look into using a hybrid cloud as part of their security strategy. Hybrid clouds are designed to provide an extra layer of security, allowing organizations to protect sensitive data while still enjoying the scalability and flexibility of public clouds.
- Implement an Incident Response Plan 📃 – An incident response plan is essential for businesses should a breach occur. This plan should include steps to identify, contain and recover from an attack.
- Implement Zero Trust Security 🔒 – Zero trust security is an approach that requires users to authenticate themselves before they can access data or applications, regardless of where they are located. This helps make sure that only the right people have access to sensitive company information and resources.
- Automate Security Tools (maybe even with AI) 🧠 – Automating security tools can help organizations more quickly detect threats. Artificial intelligence (AI) can also be used to automate certain tasks and monitor for threats in real time.
So, where to start? You can start by tackling the above one at a time; no need to implement everything at once.
- Find a trusted IT provider – Finding a trusted IT provider can offer organizations the expertise and guidance they need to properly secure their systems. An experienced IT provider can help businesses understand their security needs and develop the right strategies for their organization. With the right security measures in place, businesses can significantly reduce their risk of suffering a data breach and its costly effects.
- Deploy MFA/2FA – This one’s considered “low-hanging fruit.” Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and two-factor authentication (2FA) help to ensure that only the right people have access to sensitive data.
- Think longer-term – An Incident Response Plan would be a longer-term project worth considering that your IT provider can help you with.
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