Finding A System With the Right Features

If your company has recently had a data breach, you are among about 43% of businesses that have had their systems compromised. Having a data breach can be a PR nightmare for your business. You will need to regain your customer's trust. But there are fortunately ways that you can prove to your customers that you take their data seriously.

Contact Law Enforcement First

By contacting law enforcement, you will demonstrate good faith to your customers. If law enforcement can identify the hackers responsible for the breach and arrest them, customers may be less concerned about the breach. It may also be required by law depending on your state. Find out if your local law enforcement is experienced with data breaches and contact the FBI if they are not.

Find Out what Happened and Redesign Your Security

Before you reach out to your customers, you will need to gather information regarding exactly what happened. Otherwise, you may accidentally notify customers who were actually not affected by the security breach. You will need assistance from a company that provides data breach response plans so you can:

• Understand the breaches

• Fix the hole

• Ensure that you are implementing your technology properly

Some businesses make the mistake of only focusing on preventing data breaches from outside the company, but not from data breaches executed by employees within the company. You may have to redesign your security architecture and change your encryption methods to safeguard against internal security breaches. Some security breaches are simply the result of an employee leaving a computer unattended, allowing a guest to access it. Retrain your employees on how to prevent such breaches.

Contact Your Customers

Tell your customers exactly what happened. If you aren't honest with your customers, they will be much more worried about sharing their personal information with you or shopping with you again. Explain the type of breach that your company experienced and the date at which it occurred. Send out press releases, contact customers by email and even send a letter to your customers' houses. Some states may require that you send several letters.

Offer Services That Help Your Customers Recover

Customers affected by the security breach may have their credit damaged. You may be required by law to provide free credit monitoring services and credit counseling for at least a year. Even if you discover you aren't legally required, after consulting with your lawyer, you should consider providing these services to keep your customers happy.

For more information about what to do before and after a data breach, contact a company like Prilock.