Recovering from a Data Breach

According to the latest Verizon Data Breach report, 85 percent of organizations breached did not realize they had been compromised, sometimes for weeks or months. Often they only found out when alerted by a third party. So cyberhackers can be at work in compromised networks -- as we've seen in many recent situations -- for weeks or months. The question, then, is what do you do once you find out your data has been compromised? This issue provides the answers.

Given the near-certainty that some form an attack or data breach will happen in your organization, it makes sense to consider scenarios and plan for them when it happens. (Item #1)   What's the most important next step you should take following a data breach? (Item #2)   Security analysts are saying that it's not IF you are the victim of a data breach but WHEN. (Item #3)

Responders need a plan of action going into a breach and tools to support those actions. (Item #4)   Cost estimations provide a new perspective on the severity of IT security incidents. (Item #5)   Why are you often the last to know that your data has been breached? (Item #6)


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Fire Preparedness/Safety

Since October is National Fire Prevention Month, this week we take a look at mitigating, preparing for and staying safe in a fire. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics fires and explosions accounted for 109 fatalities in the workplace in 2010, and, even though that’s only 4% of workplace fatalities, many of them are avoidable. If your fire preparedness plan isn’t up-to-date, this week’s articles can help you improve on it.

Use this fire safety checklist to see how prepared your business is for a fire. (Item #1)    Here’s information for small businesses to facilitate fire prevention planning. (Item #2)    Everything you need to know about choosing and using fire extinguishers. (Item #3)

Keeping employees safe in a fire or other emergency may require that they evacuate. (Item #4)    HR has an important role to play in workplace fire safety. (Item #5)    Don’t forget safety at home... here are 10 simple tips to help you avoid fires and reduce the risk of injury should one occur. (Item #6)


Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/

Employee Issues

Your employees, which are a critical resource, also can become a source of difficult problems if you're not careful. What they say and do online, how well they protect their passwords, and how they act with other employees can cause you trouble when you least expect it. So how do you handle these potential difficulties? If you haven't addressed these issues in your plan, check out this week's articles, which can help you develop or refine policies to prevent future problems.

Should employers monitor employees online? (Item #1)   Your business could be liable if employees misuse the Internet. (Item #2)   There is a vast difference between asking for employees to exercise good judgment and hovering over their Tweets like Big Brother. (Item #3)

Employees will never have good password hygiene if a company doesn't make it easier for them by providing better tools. (Item #4)   Here's how IT (working with HR) can help ensure the company's data doesn't walk out the front door. (Item #5)   If you don't deal the problem of difficult employees, it will only get worse. (Item #6)


Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/

Online Reputation Management

It used to be said that if you make a customer/client happy she'll tell a friend, make her mad and she'll tell 10 friends. Well, today unhappy people can tell tens of thousands via the Internet and damage your business reputation in no time at all. If this happened to you, would you have the ability to manage your online reputation? Yes, you could hire an online reputation management company (and sometimes you might not have another choice if the damage is bad enough), but there are some steps you can take yourself to monitor and mend your reputation. This week's articles provide some good ideas to try.

We asked professionals in public relations and reputation management to share the biggest reputation mistakes they've seen businesses and individuals make. (Item #1)   There has been a dramatic increase in the number of ways a company's reputation can be damaged, but there's been no corresponding increase in the tools or efforts available to manage reputations. (Item #2)   In an environment where consumer confidence in a brand's digital presence can make or break business success, approaching online reputation management ethically is a core strategy. (Item #3)

Here are some of the most important steps you need to be taking to manage your online business reputation. (Item #4)   Your company's reputation is integral to revenue management strategies that will create robust profit margins. (Item #5)   Here are 10 online reputation management statistics that reinforce the importance of controlling--and improving--your digital image. (Item #6)


Past issues of the NewsBriefs are available at http://www.attainium.net/newsbriefs/