A real heart stopping lesson about data security

I imagine the very recent news that customer data has reportedly been stolen from Ashley Madison, a dating website, will send a few hearts fluttering and pulses racing.

Without wishing to pass judgement on the company or people who use it, how much longer will it take for all manner of organisations to realise they have to take data security seriously? Regardless of what Ashley Madison actually does and if the reports are true about data being stolen, they will rue the fact that they have not paid more attention to this issue.

Not taking data security seriously is asking for trouble and is as certain to limit the future of a business as would be mistreating customers in any way.

For anyone looking into this issue for the first time it is important to be aware that ISO 27000 is a family of standards that helps organisations keep information secure. These standards help manage the security of customer information, financial data, intellectual property, employee details and other information entrusted to them by third parties.

Safe-4 uses a UK-based data centre accredited to ISO/IEC 27001, the best-known component in the family of standards providing requirements for an information security management system (ISMS) which is an exacting and systematic approach to managing sensitive company information so that it remains secure.

It does not matter if a business is large, medium or small in size; using these standards and working with other businesses that also use them will help companies in any sector keep highly sensitive information secure.

Paul D Stallard – Hurndall-Stallard Associates – July 2015

Paul Stallard is an independent corporate communications consultant, and advises clients on matters relating to information security and other business-critical issues.