Companies in all industries will be stepping up security this year, said Thomas Mrva, president of Lighthouse Computer Services Inc., an information-technology services provider to more than 450 companies throughout the United States.
“[Businesses] have relaxed the control of information and how it is being used,” he said. “Too many people have access to too much data.”
“A lot of times when people [transfer internally in] a company, they don’t update their privileges,” explained Mrva, noting that someone that works in marketing typically should not have access to sales information.
Companies – big and small – should centralize the control of their data so they have an overview of who is accessing what information and continuously update it, said.
“Controlling access to sensitive or confidential data affects all businesses,” said Mrva adding that companies ranging from those that do online billing, manage company Facebook information, or manage an inventory supply chain have an obligation to secure their data.
Mrva also highlighted the lower price points and improved accessibility – through cloud computing – as greasing the wheels for smaller companies to be able to improve data security. (Cloud computing refers to Internet-based computing or virtual servers that provide software, resources and data.)
“Continued pressure to keep data secured as well as controlling costs will make 2011 a great year for security providers offering their service in the cloud,” said Mrva. •
