Ponemon Institute released the findings of its annual study regarding data breaches and their consequences last Thursday. Unsurprisingly, United States enterprises suffered the most financial loss through data breaches, with the average per capita cost of a data breach averaging $217.
Along with the average cost per country, this study shows that the number of malicious attacks has increased, as well as the cost of repercussions after these attacks. In 2015, malicious attacks comprised 47 percent of initial causes to data breaches and cost an average of $170. Although malicious attacks take advantage of vulnerable information, the most serious consequence of data breaches is actually lost business. This study found that in 2015, $1.57 million was lost because of increased customer turnover and reputation damage.
Last year showed IT professionals everywhere that no one industry is safe, and data breaches can even be more costly for certain industries than others. A healthcare data breach could cost as much as $363, whereas the retail industry averaged $165.
It’s easy to become paranoid of information attacks, but the best defense is to use top-notch data security, or work with a data management company. HOBI International is a R2, RIOS, ISO-14001 certified IT asset management company that uses the best practices for data management, security and erasure. HOBI offers data management solutions for enterprises of all sizes, and has not had a data leak in over 20 years of business.
Although 2015’s data breaches were frequent and costly, 2016 could be a different year. Top-notch security practices and protocol can keep enterprises from becoming an information attack statistic.