Information Security – Need of the Hour for Every Organization

93 percent of large enterprises had a security breach in 2012 while 87 percent of small businesses faced a security breach in the same year which is up by 11% over the last year, says a UK-based PwC survey. This article discusses the ways in which you can protect your database from hackers.

Businesses these days can’t do without Internet. From business promotion to employing cloud services for online transactions, Internet is an essential element of information, data handling and operational infrastructure.

Though Internet has made it convenient, cheap and quick to transfer information across global borders, it has also spun a new malaise in the form of hackers, who access your computer systems by circumventing its security system.

Hackers resort to unethical practices of stealing confidential information, breaking the security firewalls of bank gateways to get access to your usernames and passwords, and interfering with online transactions. Popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have also fallen prey to damaging information security breaches.

According to 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey by PwC, 14 percent of the large enterprises suffered an information security breach associated with social networking sites while another 9 percent had an information security issue relating to smartphones or tablets.

The recent hacker-attacks on prominent enterprises including WordPress and Twitter have raised security concerns of entrepreneurs and small business owners who are now becoming more cognizant about Information Security.

The report further states, 93 percent of large enterprises had a security breach in 2012 while 87 percent of small businesses faced a security breach in the same year which is up by 11% over the last year.

Why Invest in Information Security?

Any compromise to Information Security results in huge losses in terms of both revenue of customer-base. But, most small and medium enterprises ignore the Information Security until they happen to experience its pitfalls themselves.
Being a CEO, it is essential for you to realize the importance of information security. You should ensure that your complete database of information is secured by a reliable and effective tool.

As per the 2013 Information Security Breaches Survey by PwC, “Only 12% of organizations try to calculate return on investment (ROI) on their security expenditure”.

Ways to Ensure Information Security

Protect your database from hackers through the following effective techniques:

• Make sure, you perform software updates regularly for web browser and operating system
• Install a firewall on your laptop or computer and update it regularly.
• Don’t open spam mails as they may contain malicious content.
• Choose tough passwords that ideally are a mix of alphanumeric characters and special characters.
• Opt for two-factor authentication and join the league of Twitter, Apple and Microsoft. Two-Factor Authentication is based on something a user knows, and something he physically possesses. For example, when you initiate a transaction; a two-factor authentication system demands two passwords from you in two different steps. The first one is known to you already and you’ll get the second one on your mobile or other device during the transaction, which is normally a one-time password and is valid for a very short time.

You can learn more about significance and application of Information Security at CEO peer groups or CEO conferences. Experts from non-competitive companies meet for a session and discuss their problems and experiences at a CEO association, which serves as effective executive leadership coaching. Consult with your CEO peers and gain from experience.