There have been over a thousand information security breaches publicized during the last four years. Each security breach teaches a valuable lesson. As business people, we should be asking ourselves if our business has the same type of security problems.  Preventing security breaches prevents identity theft and business liability.

Often, these lessons are ignored because the average business manager does not see the relevance to his or her business operation. For example, what does a government agency breach have to do with an insurance agency, a property management company, an engineering firm, a non-profit, a school or a town? I recently provided an example in the Examiner.com about what businesses might learn from a data breach at the Illinois Department of Aging.

When there is a breach, it is customary to provide an identity theft risk mitigation service for a year or two to those whose information was compromised. For 170 employees the business expense may range from $10,000--$30,000 per year, not including all the other expenses such as a forensic investigation, replacing lost data, regulatory penalties and the fallout of negative public relations.

The best way to avoid these liabilities is to take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect privacy and minimize information security breaches in the workplace. Take a lesson from those that had a security breach.

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