Protect Your Reputation. Avoid Data Breaches.
Protect Your Reputation. Avoid Data Breaches.
Perhaps Head & Shoulders was onto something with its marketing slogan when it said “you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” Businesses spend time and resources on keeping their existing clients by nurturing relationships and maintaining quality customer service. Reputation is fragile, and one data breach incident can ruin all that a company has spent time and effort on. As Warren Buffet once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
Data breaches are perhaps overlooked when it comes to how and when a company maintains its trustworthy impression to customers. According to the research report “Reputation Impact of Data Breach” conducted by The Ponemon, the average value of brand and reputation is around $1.5 billion. Depending upon the type of information lost as a result of a data breach, the average loss in the value of the brand ranged from $184 million to more than $330 million. Those aren’t numbers to scoff at.
The study also said that businesses feel reputation after a data breach is not something that is easily fixed.
“…fifty-four percent of companies believe it can take 10 months to more than two years to restore a company’s reputation following a breach of customer data.”
The bottom line is businesses shouldn’t rest on their laurels when it comes to protecting their identity. Before you throw confidential information in the trash, think about your reputation going along with it. Consider preventative measures, such as document and hard drive destruction by a professional company like Legal Shred.
While old records, like closed bank accounts and canceled credit cards seem harmless, they are anything but. An ambitious thief can use this information to their advantage to build a profile of your current identity and wreak havoc with it.
What can you shred and destroy to protect your reputation?
Obsolete financial records
Bank statements
ATM receipts
Canceled checks
Expired credit cards
Pay stubs
Hard drives
Media files
Any documents that contain sensitive information, such as social security numbers, birth dates, and so on
A proactive approach is your best line of defense against data breaches. Protect your reputation with secure mobile shredding by NAID AAA-certified professionals like Legal Shred. We offer secure shredding, from paper to hard drives for residential and commercial customers at affordable rates. Contact us for a quote today.