New data breach penalties up to £500,000 recently announced by the Information Commissioners Office made the headlines, but are you aware of the other associated costs?

A new report from the Ponemon Institute on the costs of data breaches in 2009, calculates that the average cost per record compromised rose to £64. This includes costs such as investigation, communications, legal services and lost customer business or increased customer acquisition costs but excludes penalties. It identified an alarming doubling of malicious attacks, but also worryingly, a third of breaches still concern lost, missing or stolen laptops. Despite how common the loss of mobile devices is, it is very surprising that less than a third of respondents had deployed encryption or data loss prevention solutions.

If you are concerned about what steps your organisation has taken to defend your data, or you want to find out more about the industry standard encryption used to secure email communication, removable media, laptops, files and documents contact Melissa. You can also read a summary of the ICO Press Release here or request the full Ponemon 2009 Cost of a Data Breach Report, here . 

Image: Gregory Szarkiewicz - FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is good practice to take a regular look at how IT is performing against your current and future requirements. But where do you start?.

The EJC IT review uses a questionnaire approach and is based on our experience. It gives you simple feedback on how your organisation compares to other similar organisations across three main areas of productivity, value and risk. It also highlights the top issues that you are facing and presents key recommendations on how to move forward.

Sally Boyce of Fisher Meredith a leading London law firm commented, “The IT review has really helped us focus on key priorities. We now know what we’re good at and where our weaknesses are and it has been a pleasure working with EJC, who now feel like an extension of our team”.

If you think a review would help your organisation, request one here or contact Melissa to find out more.

Remote access to your organisation systems can be a frustrating experience. Many users complain of poor performance, problems with sound or video and issues printing. We have found that XenApp from Citrix (the global leader and most trusted name in on-demand access) successfully addresses many of these issues. So we are excited to be able to announce that EJC are now a Citrix Silver Solution Adviser.

To become a certified Citrix partner we had to meet strict requirements; “demonstrating the highest industry standards and best practices in the presentation, design and implementation of Citrix products ensuring quick and successful deployment of customer solutions.”

If you want to find out more about on-demand remote access or you are struggling with your current solution contact Melissa or visit Citrix.

Employees are swamped with information. Today everyone struggles with too much information. A 2006 IDC survey of 600 US companies produced startling results: people spent a quarter of their working week (9.5 hours) searching for information. And the data deluge is getting worse. But thanks to companies like Microsoft and Google, even the smallest organisation or individual can have comprehensive search capabilities that allow them to find files, emails and other information.

Search functionality is embedded in modern Microsoft operating systems beginning with Windows Vista, versions of Office since 2007 and it can be easily added to older systems such as Windows XP. However most users don’t know it’s available and need some training to show them how to get the most out it. It is also possible to embed search functionality as part of your own company infrastructure allowing your staff to search shared files and information.

For links and other useful information on how to make use of search check out our enterprise search guide or contact us to discuss how Search could impact your organisation. 

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How do you know if all the software on your PC is up to date and secure?

Secunia’s Online Software Inspector provides a free and fast way to scan your PC for the most common programs and vulnerabilities. It will detect insecure versions of common programs and assist you in patching them and it will also verify that all the Microsoft patches you need are applied. Even better, because it runs through your browser, no installation or download is required.
 

To use this free application and see where your PC vulnerabilities lie, visit Secunia and if you would like to find out more about keeping your computers up to date and secure contact Melissa.

Congratulations to our winner Ian Rintoul of Attwaters Solicitors who won last issue’s Logitech mouse worth £50.

 This month we are giving away a copy of Microsoft Office 2007 Professional Edition worth over £300. Containing Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher and Access, Office 2007 allows you to create great-looking documents faster and easier using improved picture, charting and graphics tools. You will also get better results fast, with improved user interface, menus and toolbars.   All you need to do to win is complete this quick online form.