Handling a Data Breach
Data breaches at companies should be viewed as “when will the breach happen?” not “if a breach happens”. 2019 had 1,473 data breaches in the US, and the first half of 2020 recorded 540, according to Statista. Every company should have a plan in place on how exactly they would handle their customer’s data falling into the wrong hands. But what happens if a data breach happens and there is no plan in place?
Developing Data Breach Procedures
If a data breach occurs and no plan is in place, then time is of the essence when handling this both internally and publicly. Once the breach has been realized:
Assemble a team of experts like data-forensic investigators and legal counsel
Identify the source of the breach
Take the affected equipment offline and fix vulnerabilities
Create a communications plan
Notify law enforcement and affected parties
Data breaches are costly to a brand’s reputation and can ruin customer relationships, so breaches need to be handled properly and in a timely fashion. Jumping the gun and handling this carelessly might lead to only more problems.
Brand Damage from Data Breaches
It takes a brand’s reputation 3-5 years to recover from a data breach, and Harvard Business Review’s “Boss, I Think Someone Stole Our Customer Data” is a good example of how quickly things can get out of control.
Brands need to take data security seriously to protect things like:
Brand reputation damage
Revenue loss
Consumer trust
Loss of intellectual property
Online vandalism
Companies should always empathize with customer concerns when a breach happens but always prioritize the facts:
What happened?
What information was involved?
What are we doing?
What can you do?
This information helps consumers understand that the company just attacked is doing everything they can behind the scenes to solve the issue.
Why Visitor Management Data Security Matters
Data hackers are looking for any security vulnerability that will let them access a company’s most restricted records. There are numerous methods they try and no entry point is overlooked. When selecting a visitor management system it’s important to chose one that doesn’t leave your company more vulnerable for an attack.
Our software is cloud-based, hosted on Microsoft Azure, and every customer gets their own private environment. We are committed to the highest levels of data security at Veristream, and we are trusted by some of the largest companies around the world to keep their data and facilities safe.
Contact our security professionals at today at 1-888-718-0807 or schedule a demo online to learn more about visitor management data security.
