Data leakage: The unauthorized transfer of classified information from a computer or datacenter to the outside world. Data leakage can be accomplished by simply 
remembering what was seen, by physical removal of tapes, disks and reports, or by subtle means such as data hiding. In addition, cyber criminals, such as hackers, use ever sophisticated techniques to go after data and incidences of leaked data such as passwords, credit card numbers, emails and even movies, as exemplified in the recent Sony hack, occur on a daily basis.Data leakage has become one of the most prevalent issues in technology, not just in the USA, but globally. It affects all business and we need to make serious efforts to plug the holes. Let’s take a look at some of the facts.
You’ve probably heard the term “data” a lot over recent years; big data, little data, sensitive data and so on. It isn’t surprising that data is big news because it not only represents our company, our customers and our wider world, but it is also very valuable.
Something we all dislike is a problem that hits us in the pocketbook, and nothing hits harder than the loss of data, especially sensitive or client data. According to The University of Texas, 94% of businesses that lose their data end up closing their doors within six months. Keeping on the subject of money and loss, what is very sobering is that according to the 2013 Aberdeen study on data loss, ‘Downtime and Data Loss: How Much Can You Afford’, network downtime and associated data loss costs were staggering. Small companies could expect downtime costs to be on average $8,581 per hour and for medium size companies that amount rose to a whopping $215,638.
On a more positive note, another Aberdeen Group study reported that 85% of cyber intrusions are preventable through the application of correct end point controls, especially prompt patching. The report goes on to say that in a recent survey of over 855 businesses, 98% of attacks targeted end points such as user devices and servers. They state that leveraging prompt and effective patch management will mitigate this and should be part of your security strategy.
North American businesses are waking up to these shocking figures. According to IPSOS research, 69% of the 6.5 million small companies in the USA are unaware or don’t believe that data loss can result in major financial losses. Further, 40% of those businesses have no strategy in place to protect against loss and 48% have no trained staff to deal with this issue. This leaves them wide open to intrusion and we are seeing increased instances of cyber attacks targeted at smaller sized organizations. According to the Symantec Internet Security Report 2014, it's not just the big guns cyber-criminals are targeting; 1 in 5 companies of less than 250 employees were singled out for cyber-attack.
Reading all of that, you must be sitting there thinking, how on earth can I prevent the loss of data from my organization? As said previously, it is generally recognized that good patch management goes a long way in protecting your resources. You need to stop the problem at the source, i.e. the end point, that’s where you’ll find your network weak spot, your vulnerability point. But with so many small companies struggling to cope with patch management, such as Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday, how do you keep abreast of the threat of malware such as viruses and Trojans?
The only effective way to fight the war against cyber-attacks is through good defense. Most small to medium size companies do not have the bandwidth or specialist manpower to continuously monitor security threats, keep up to date with new cyber-attacks as they come to light and then to apply the remedial patch. Small business owners and their IT teams need a helping hand to make the hidden issues of security visible. This is where WatchPoint Data comes in. We have developed a cyber guard dog to watch over your network, monitoring events, checking if the latest patches have been applied and alerting you when they haven’t. We provide the visibility you need to keep a watchful eye on the endpoints where cyber-attacks originate. We know you don’t have the time to analyze complex reports, so we make it simple by pulling all of the information together in an easy to use Cloud Panel. Our alert and logging features make sure you are fully aware, and awareness and vigilance are the enemies of hackers. Our console gives you that much needed visibility of system security vulnerabilities, configuration issues and patch management needs. Forewarned is forearmed in the battle against cyber attacks and security intrusions. Don't let a cyber-criminal take your business down.
