Data security is a complicated task requiring constant updating and monitoring against threats both large and small. The majority of us need to take the word of the companies housing our data that it is safe and secure, unfortunately, many companies fall short of this. Security surrounding data is often a modern-day version of The Emperor’s New Clothes. Like Hans Christian Andersen’s short tale, we are left to the word of the security tailors that the data is clothed in security that we could not possibly understand. The best security, we are told, is the security we cannot see. It is not until a child, or a hacker in our modern update of the tale, looks at the nonexistent security and yells out that there is no security, accesses the data and causes embarrassment to the emperor, the tailors, and the company holding that data cloaked in invisible security. The exposure can be costly and embarrassing.

The Emperor’s New Clothes is a cautionary tale on the dangers of hubris, ignorance, vanity, and fear to speak truth to power. Data security takes dedicated and detailed work to ensure data is protected and covered. Vendors housing your data should not tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear about the security of your data.

Where is your data stored?

The first question to be asked is how to use the cloud, not if they need the cloud. The movement towards hosted application is forecasted to continue, and in the insurance and legal industries, some firms are using close to one hundred external companies to host applications and data. The reality today is that the cloud is here to stay, but it needs the proper architecture to clothe your data from cyberattacks and crime threats.

Unfortunately, the evolution and speed with which the data breaches and cyberattacks are happening is a reality that reveals how many of the systems put in place to protect your data were not designed for the cloud — especially considering when the migration to the cloud of an on-premise system, internally developed, often results in an increase of data breach. The lack of proper safeguards is a significant reason for the rising of costs and concern for the insurers. In other words, in these cases, your data has no clothes.

T-Scan clothes your data against nefarious elements

T-Scan is often asked how we protect our clients' information from a data breach in the cloud. We know that systems not designed to run in the cloud will have security flaws that can go undetected. For this reason, T-Scan has developed a framework to safeguard the data used for litigation support from a data security breach with our Data Security and Compliance Architecture (DSCA.)

The reality is that cyberattacks such as data breaches are now a permanent cost to doing business. The cost is not only a business consideration but also a liability issue. Having an effective data breach management process is crucial to safeguarding data and reassuring clients.

How do you know that your information is invisible not your security?

Here at T-Scan, we have taken the time to develop a well-thought-out overall architecture and response plan to protect our customers’ data in the event of a cyberattack.

Our Data Security and Compliance Architecture focuses on five key areas:

1. Corporate Governance and IT Practices
2. Technology and Architecture
3. Hosting Continuity and Availability
4. Data Breach Identification and Remediation
5. Backup Cyber Liability & Data Breach Insurance

We understand that third-party involvement has the single most significant impact of increasing the average cost of a data breach, and for this reason, firms are increasingly concerned about the implications of the damage a cyberattack cause.

In the "rush to the cloud," many vendors have cut corners, which have left them without total control of their hosted applications, inviting another vulnerability for cyberattacks. Unlike others with their "new clothes” security, here at T-Scan, we detail our tailored security "clothes" in the form of our core application and architecture. It is internally developed and supported providing T-Scan complete control.

We believe that any organization dealing with the collection and storage of personal information needs to be knowledgeable of the risks inherent in data storage and the prevalence and growth of cyberattacks. At T-Scan, we believe in continually evaluating our processes against current best practices while anticipating the changes and challenges that are to come.

We have not sewn invisible security garments leaving our clients unprotected. We maintain a security architecture tailored to the specific needs of the cloud cloaking data in a complete security suite. We know without the protection tailored to the needs of the cloud and client.