Regardless of size and industry, businesses of all types remain susceptible to a data breach. Minimize your risk with a 4-pronged approach:

1. Make sure anything sensitive is encrypted, including company passwords and personally identifiable information of employees and customers.
2. Install strong firewalls and intrusion detection systems. Develop robust policies and procedures pertaining to document handling.
3. Develop an incident response plan in advance. Don’t wait until a breach occurs to create a response and continuity plan – be sure to involve legal counsel, a notification vendor and a public relations firm.
4. Transfer your risk. Examine all vendor, cloud and partner contracts. Do liability agreements indemnify you should they cause a breach of your data? Have you demanded proof of insurance?

By being proactive, you can prevent the risk of a cyber security breach and protect what matters most.