Is your device fleet protected against data breaches? | Oct19 Newsletter
Global data breaches are becoming more frequent and more expensive. At the same time, device fleets are expanding as employees demand the latest mobile tools. If not appropriately protected, your device fleet can be a chink in your cybersecurity armour that hackers can exploit to gain access to your network.
This is creating a perfect storm that IT teams must face head-on to avoid the enormous costs associated with a data breach. Here’s how a secure device fleet saves money and delivers fast ROI.
The cost of risk
There’s no hiding from the risk of data breaches. In the first half of 2018, more than 3.3 billion records were compromised globally. Perhaps more concerning is the fact that this marks a 72 per cent increase from the same period in 2017. That takes the total number of data records lost or stolen since 2013 to well over 14 billion.
Now let’s consider the cost of these data breaches. According to the 2018 Cost of a Data Breach Study, the global average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million. That’s up 6.4 per cent on 2017. And the average cost for each lost or stolen record is also rising – up 4.8 per cent on 2017 to $148.
Those are sobering figures, and good reason why IT departments need to redouble their efforts to secure ever-growing device fleets in the war against data breaches.
Money well spent
Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom. The emerging device-as-a-service (DaaS) model puts some of the security onus on your device vendor. This is particularly helpful for SMBs that may not have the in-house IT resources required to maintain high-level device security.
For example, HP’s DaaS Proactive Security provides real-time malware protection, security and threat analytics, and specialised security expertise for your entire device fleet. HP also provides real-time threat isolation technology that helps prevent device breaches spreading into your greater network.
Security features built into your device hardware provide another key line of defence. For example, the HP EliteBook 1030 G4 features HP DriveLock to protect against unauthorised access to sensitive data, plus HP Sure Recover for fast, secure and automated data recovery.
Being human
Setting up your employees with DaaS-protected devices with built-in security features is an excellent start. But you’ll also need to take steps to limit human error and create a risk-aware culture in your organisation.
Ensure your employees understand the seriousness of the digital threats facing your business and how they may affect your customers and the future of your business. Create formal security procedures, make user training mandatory and educate your team about how to identify common hacking techniques such as phishing.
You might even consider conducting ‘live fire’ training simulations so your team can practise identifying and responding to an attempted data breach.
An investment that pays for itself
Data breaches knocked $350 million off Yahoo’s sale price. Cyberattacks on Marriott International compromised up to 500 million customer accounts. Hackers had access to eBay’s company network for 229 days. Major data breaches cost Target stores a whopping $162 million.
These are all scary numbers, but data breaches are not just about hard figures. You also need to consider the cost of losing long-term customer trust and the impact a major data breach will have on your brand image.
DaaS offers a strong line of defence against device data breaches – usually on a highly scalable subscription model – while reducing your in-house IT spend. Better device security at lower cost is an ROI formula you can’t ignore.