A data breach can happen. The actions you take shortly after you realize it, are the ones that can “save the day” for your organization.

It turns out every company - your company included - is vulnerable against cyberattacks and potential data breaches. That is unless you work with an advanced data center services provider.

We have recently seen even large conglomerates, such as Visa and British Airways, suffering from data breaches and paying millions on fines. In terms of communicating these stories, most companies seem calm and show people that they keep things under control.

We trust they do so, but it is certain that behind the scenes there is a lot of work going on.

Here are the main strategic steps each organization should make in order to limit consequences and handle such difficult situations.

Share with dignity and honesty

Effective communication is key especially in times of crisis. Sharing what happened with both employees, customers, and perhaps partners involved means…caring, and this is exactly the communication angle you should maintain while making things public.

Be honest, be concise, and make sure you describe your next steps carefully and in a convincing manner. You already know that some people will be disappointed. What you want to know more is that customers, employees, and partners will not lose trust in your business.

Mitigating risks and reducing the spread

Once you have realized what happened, make sure you isolate infected hardware and software. Even if this means deactivating or isolating the most critical part of your infrastructure, it is important to do this right and above all, to do it fast. In any case, you should always be prepared for the unexpected and keep your business up and running with a business continuity plan, so that even with the isolation of a critical part, you won’t risk the uninterrupted operation of your business and your reputation.

Keep proof and maintain evidence

No matter what, you need to save evidence of this attack. This may include the security measures you have had before, any evidence left behind by the intruders, and proof of the actions you took shortly after. The close monitoring of this incident will provide valuable information in actions that should be taken to prevent this from happening again.

Get legal support

As related laws are constantly getting updated, you will need to get legal support from the very beginning. This advice will define every action you take in terms of communication and technical provisions.

Be “careful” though and filter every piece of advice you get. For example, legal representatives may tell you to remain silent until “this and that”. This may contradict with your communication and customer support strategy. So, it is important to find a real balance and always keep in mind the ways to protect your customers delivering excellent services.

Get support from tech experts

With so many parameters involved in such incidents, things can be very complicated for you and your team to deal with. Getting support from data center experts can save you significant amounts of time, money and reputation

Contact our team of data center experts via this form.

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