In my presentations and private consultations I spend a lot of time talking about the cost of a data breach and how those numbers can help IT staff move security training and security solutions forward.  All too often, managers with great ideas have problems quantifying the return on investment (ROI) from security training, or the adoption of a security solution.  The 2010 numbers are in from this report (link below) and it works out to $214.00 per record.  That’s right, $ 214.00 PER RECORD.  So, let’s put that in perspective - a laptop which goes missing from your organization with 5000 customer records will potentially cost your business $ 1,070,000 in direct and indirect costs. The cost of a monthly Lunch and Learn session focusing on best practices in IT Security ranges from 500 to 1000 per month, you can do the math and here is the report to help you move your 2012 IT Security plans forward.

http://www.symantec.com/content/en/us/about/media/pdfs/symantec_ponemon_data_breach_costs_report.pdf?om_ext_cid=biz_socmed_twitter_facebook_marketwire_linkedin_2011Mar_worldwide_costofdatabreach