The Increasing Prevalence Of Online Security Breaches

Online security breaches are extremely costly and it seems like every day there is another newsworthy security breach. From Epsilon to Sony to Citibank to Sega, major corporations are experiencing high-profile online network security breach. However, not only major corporation but businesses of all sizes are susceptible to attack and attacks are increasing in regularity.

Security breaches have a tremendous impact on a business as the costs of remediating an online network security breach are astronomical and can result in service outages, lead to regulatory oversight and most importantly can directly impact the organization's bottom line.

Preventing an online security breach is obviously extremely important and it is also a major source of stress for online network security professionals.

The escalating presence of online attacks should not come as a surprise to anyone who stops to think it through. Consider the size of a typical IT environment, not only is the typical IT environment extremely complex but it continues to get increasingly complex as time goes. The typical IT environment is also commonly extremely large, with multiple business partners, dozens of different platforms and hundreds if not thousands of network pathways. Add to the mix the amount of confidential data that requires protection and it is no surprise that hackers continue to breach these networks.

As we have discussed, online security breaches can have an extreme financial impact on an organization and the average costs of these breaches continue to rise. According to the Ponemon Institute's 2010 U.S. Cost of a Data Breach study, online network security breaches continue to cost businesses more every year. The average organizational cost of an online security breach increased from $6.8 million in 2009 to $7.2 million in 2010. The average cost per compromised record was $214 up $10 from 2009.

The most expensive breach discussed in the study cost an organization $35.3 million to resolve while the least expensive online security breach cost $78,000. The cost of these online security breaches appears to be directly proportional to the number of personal records compromised.

Regardless of the size of your organization, online network security is extremely important. However, in-house security can be complex, expensive and resource-intensive. Outsourcing your online security provides your business with 24-hour monitoring and management from security experts who are trained to manage the most complex cyber-attacks. Outsourcing your online network security will allow your organization to increase efficiency, lower costs, save time and most importantly focus on growing your core business.

A quality online network security provider delivers certified compliance solutions and managed network security. As opposed to providers with uncertified partial fixes, or perhaps worse, self audited solutions. With a quality security provider you get holistic solutions that eliminate your business' need for dedicated resources or juggling multiple vendors, requirements and products.

Contact your local online network security provider for more information about their fully managed network security solutions and how these solutions can protect your business from costly online security breaches.