A recent study suggests data security is very low on many executives’ priority lists of perceived risks to their businesses.  Over 800 executives in Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Norway, Sweden, UK and the US were asked what the greatest risk to their companies were, and data security finished 8th. http://enterpriseinnovation.net/article/few-business-decision-makers-see-poor-data-security-greatest-business-risk-549396326.  Business competition, finding talented people, maintaining profits, growing the business, attaining and maintaining a great reputation, deployment of new technology, and supporting legacy infrastructure all come before protecting one’s data. Additionally, while 63% of the executives expected to suffer a security breach at some point, only 44% believe their critical data is completely secure.  Even less (37%) believe their consumer data is completely secure.  Yet only 1% of the executives saw data security as the greatest risk to their business.
Is this lack of fear crippling any movement toward widespread change in policy regarding data protection? A recent study has found that 70% of executives believe that their organizations do not even understand the full risks associated with data breaches (Study). Only 45% of executives believed that their own company’s response to data breaches was proactive or well-developed.
So what can be done? According to the 2014 Executive Breach Preparedness Research Report, in order to control and respond to data breaches, a company must start taking into account the importance and value of their data in their business operations.  “Without a well thought out plan in place, and without the proper guidance, training and process instituted throughout the organization, executives can stumble when dealing with the public outcry once sensitive data has been compromised,” said Arthur Wong, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Enterprise Security Services at HP (http://www.computerweekly.com/). Wong also notes that while no amount of money can completely protect companies from highly sophisticated cyber attacks, with proper preparedness, an attack can become a “speed bump in the road” rather than a “catastrophic business event”.
Therefore, the first step towards being prepared involves executives understanding that data security is critical. It should be considered at the same challenge level as finding talented people, maintaining profits, and growing the business.  As the holiday shopping season approaches, retailers should be mindful that it only takes one data breach to push customers through the doors of a competitor. Looking through that lens, data security should be quickly on par with concerns like business competition, maintaining profits and overall business growth.
 Post by Sarah Crabtree Perez and Daniel Broidy
