Jason Chambers
Principal Architect, nuBridges
I thought that would get your attention. Data security can hold the key to your company’s reputation and to its future. Data breaches from outside and inside your enterprise can result in customer loss, fines and devastating press that can impact your bottom line now and in the future. A wait-and-see attitude to data security is not a good business practice. And given the availability of solutions that protect data in all its forms, it’s just not defensible!
Businesses large and small in every corner of the world are losing billions of dollars each year, risking their customers’ loyalty and opening themselves up to litigation. Unnecessarily. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that data theft costs businesses more than US$250 billion and results in the loss of 750,000 jobs in the U.S. each year. Now that’s a big deal.
You notice I’m talking about data security, not network or perimeter security. Given the “boundary-less” nature of our world, businesses must look beyond traditional perimeter defenses such as network firewalls. They’re not effective enough to fully protect data in all the forms it takes, in all the devices in which it travels or rests. Of course I’m not suggesting that you totally forget to protect the perimeter; but you need to also follow the data and protect it, whether it’s in transit, in use or at rest. Protecting the perimeter won’t stop a disgruntled employee from removing important data from their laptop via a USB device. And what’s to stop a contractor from downloading your corporate IP for use in subsequent engagements? Engagements with your competitors perhaps?
At nuBridges we call this “moat mentality,” harkening back to medieval times when perimeter moats were the best practice in protecting one’s castle and its precious contents. Even with draw bridges, armor, boiling oil and the like, we all know that moats are not always impenetrable – and Trojan horses may lurk inside. And so today companies stuck in this moat mentality are increasingly and unnecessarily leaving the jewels in the castle at great risk. They need to secure their greatest asset – data – at its source.
What’s most interesting (frankly, it’s perplexing) is that companies have immediate and affordable access to the technology that virtually neutralizes data breaches. At nuBridges we’ve built software solutions that are affordable, easy to use and provide end-to-end security for sensitive data at rest and in transit. More than 3,000 customers rely on us to encrypt millions of credit card numbers, exchange billions of dollars in B2B transactions and enable countless business-critical file transfers. I encourage you to read our free whitepaper: “Best Practices in Encryption Key Management and Data Security.” http://www.nubridges.com/keymanagement1/
Does your company have a “moat mentality?”
Until my next blog,
Jason
