Have you ever received notification from a government or industry office that your personal information may have been compromised or lost? I have—on both counts—and it is not a comforting feeling. It also makes you immediately question the care and practices of the organizations that solicited your trust in safeguarding your private information.

Today, we find a common thread in our net-centric world: Business opportunity and information dependence breed business risk. In particular, risk to security and privacy is present in huge doses every day. But how should we best manage the information risk coming through the door, over our firewall and through our software on a continual basis?

We all realize that the risk to our national security, business and personal data is growing. Our information networks and means of storage are increasingly vulnerable to attack and compromise. Is it any wonder that new terminology such as enterprise risk management (ERM), risk intelligence, risk assessments and business risk have become so common? Today’s business environment is full of risk, whether it involves national security, intelligence gathering, transportation, operations, medical, logistics, sales or any other business activity.

It is the rare organization that intelligently manages the full spectrum of risk; that adequately assesses and addresses risk from all angles; that breaks through organizational barriers that prevent an objective assessment; and that systematically anticipates and prepares a holistic plan to manage potentially significant risks. The ugly fact is that every organization is becoming increasingly vulnerable to data loss—both internal business and private client—from cyber attacks, espionage, crime, exploitation, disruption, manipulation, natural disasters and terrorism. The risk to data entrusted to organizations today is real and intensifying daily, thanks to the very same technology applications and accessibility that provide improved ability to use the data. The upside to gaining insights into the risks threatening our organizations is that, besides just defending ourselves, we also can be more proactive based on the risk intelligence gathered.

Read the rest of the article at SIGNAL online.

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