With technology quickly evolving, businesses across multiple industries are working to keep pace, ensuring that they are as up-to-date as possible. Integrating new systems and accounting for trends like bring-your-own-device (BYOD) are just a few ways that companies are adapting.
However, with changes in data storage and accessibility, the risks of security breaches are also changing, and businesses need to keep themselves protected against possible liability.
A recent report from the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) found that while data breaches at hospitals and health systems declined between 2009 and 2012, they increased in smaller physician practices, which accounted for more than 60 percent of the 459 breaches analyzed.
Additionally, a survey from the Spyglass Consulting Group found that more than two-thirds of hospitals interviewed reported that their nurses use personal smartphones while on the job for personal and clinical communications. However, the IT support for such devices is lacking.
Chris Petersen, CTO of LogRhythm, told CSO that he is not surprised that smaller organizations are much more vulnerable to data breaches. According to him, smaller firms usually don't have full-time IT staff that are devoted to security. Until that security gap can be bridged, he suggested that some companies might want to consider banning BYOD completely.
"There is no fix for this," Petersen said. "If organizations don't have the proper technical controls in place, they will be helpless when it comes to ensuring a lot device doesn't mean lost personal information."
Regardless of a business' size, as companies try to evolve with changing technologies, it's crucial for decision-makers to be prepared for numerous situations. Partnering with commercial insurance specialists will help owners find a comprehensive insurance policy that accounts for possible data breaches, including ones associated with BYOD.
Even if a smartphone is stolen and an employee finds it later, a security breach has still occurred and businesses need to have a high tech insurance plan that covers such a situation.