It’s hardly a secret that data breaches occur and carry significant costs to correct.  But just how often they happen, and the true financial damages they inflict, still can be stunning.

According to statistics collected by security.com, here is just a sampling of data breach fallout ramifications, compiled for 2020, the most recent year statistics are available:

• On average, data breaches globally cost companies $3.86 million each.

• The U.S. represents the most expensive nation for data breaches, with the average cost of each instance totaling $8.64 million.

• Breaches also decrease productivity and disrupt workflow, with companies requiring 280 days – more than nine months – on average to identify and resolve data breaches.

• In 2020, a total of nearly 4,000 data breaches were publicly reported, which at first glance appears to be a 40% improvement from the prior year – but delays in reporting and declining media coverage mean that fewer breaches were reported.  The true total of breaches therefore remains unknown, and could be as high or higher than the year before.

• Data breaches in 2020 reached an all-time high number of exposed records of more than 37 billion.

• Fully 72% of data breaches affected large companies, with the remaining 28% impacting small businesses, proving that no one is completely safe from this phenomenon.

The professionals at The Reschini Group can help create an approach to cybersecurity coverage and data breach prevention that makes sense for your specific business or enterprise.  Contact them to learn more.

Copyright 2024 The Reschini Group

The Reschini Group provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice.  To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.

It only makes sense that the people closest to any given situation have the best ability to control it, protect it, or maintain it.  By that same logic, those same frontline people have the most riding on the ongoing safety of any variables impacting that situation.

Managing risk effectively, in other words, stands the best chance when those closest to the potential for risk take responsibility for it.  In the business world, this concept goes by the term contractual risk transfer.

This represents a legally binding way to transfer risk to the party that may be in the best position to control the risks related to the service to be provided.  It involves the use of contractual obligations, such as indemnity and exculpatory agreements, waivers of recovery rights, and “hold harmless” insurance requirements that pass along to others what would otherwise be one’s own risks of loss.

Most often, it means transferring the risk of injury or property damage caused by a company you hired – a subcontractor, vendor, or supplier, for instance – through a contract or insurance policy.  Say, for example, a commercial property tenant assumes the risk for keeping sidewalks clear, or an apartment complex transfers the risk of theft to a security company, or a subcontractor assumes the risk for work performed for a contractor on a property.

Contractual risk transfer actually benefits all parties involved.  The primary party can take comfort that the secondary party – the subcontractor or vendor – will carry out its responsibilities, since it has accepted responsibility for the risk.  Entering into these risk transfer agreements can also lower the cost of insurance for the primary party.

At the same time, the secondary party can benefit from agreeing to contractual risk transfers because it opens the door to increased business relationships and revenues – while also helping to ensure that its employees are well trained, diligent, and responsible.

The professionals at The Reschini Group can help you determine the viability, advantages, and details of entering into contractual risk transfer agreements, to put the responsibility of risk where it makes the most sense.  Contact them to learn more.

Copyright 2024 The Reschini Group

The Reschini Group provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice.  To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.

The start of a new year is a good time to analyze where your business is and how you can refresh it. Here’s a checklist that will help you do just that. What are some changes you can make that will help you and your business start off right in 2024?

The impact of extreme winter weather events on businesses can be devastating, resulting in major building damage, lost production and sales, and utility disruptions – just to name a few. Are you prepared for winter weather?  Click on the images to download or print these free resources for businesses to assess winter risks and know what steps to take before, during, and after a winter weather event.

Halloween is approaching, and the next few days will be filled with many festivities, including trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, and other fun activities. Click on the image to download or print our Halloween Safety for Children Tips and have a fun and safe holiday!

September is National Preparedness Month. Although it’s not pleasant to think about, a natural disaster could occur at any time, and it is essential to create a plan and prepare for an emergency. Your preparation now could save a life later. Click on the image to download or print the safety sheet.

Cyberattacks and the resulting data breaches represent significant risks, both financial and reputational, to businesses, with insurance industry estimates stating that the $3 trillion price tag currently could balloon to $5 trillion in 2024. Those figures include lost income and the payment of data breach-related regulatory fines.

According to the Insurance Information Institute*, cost-effective options exist to avoid falling victim to cyberattacks, such as:

1. Understand your cyber risks. Businesses are vulnerable to cyberattacks through hacking, phishing, malware, and other methods. 
2. Train your staff. Those engaged in cyberattacks find a point of entry into a business’ systems and network. A business’ exposure can be reduced by having and enforcing a computer password policy for its employees.
3. Keep software updated. Businesses should routinely check and upgrade the major software they use.
4. Create back-up files and store them off-site. A business’ files should be backed up either to an external hard drive or on a separate cloud account. Taking these steps are vital to data recovery and the prevention of ransomware. 
5. Maintain firewall and antivirus technology. A business should evaluate the security settings on its software, browser and email programs.
6. Establish a Data Breach Plan. A business should remind its employees to review periodically the data breach detection tools installed onto their computers. If a data breach occurs, employees must notify the business immediately to prevent further loss.
7. Secure insurance coverage to address cyber risks. Cyber insurance coverage typically provides protection for costs associated with data breaches and ransomware.  

The threat of cyberattack never goes away, so neither should your defenses against it.  Contact the professionals at The Reschini Group to learn more and take the appropriate steps to protect your business interests.

https://www.iii.org/press-release/is-your-business-cyber-resilient-iii-offers-7-ways-businesses-can-reduce-their-risks-100819

Copyright 2023 Evergreen Insurance

Evergreen Insurance provides these updates for information only, and does not provide legal advice.  To make decisions regarding insurance matters, please consult directly with a licensed insurance professional or firm.