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Cos. Don't want to be next target [Boston Herald :: ](Boston Herald (MA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) March 30--Increasing publicity and scrutiny of high profile data breaches is pushing companies to shore up the data they keep before they become the next victim. "It's the No. 1 thing that enterprises are talking about when they move to the cloud," said Rob May, CEO of Cambridge-based Backupify. May said the company, which offers a service for businesses to back up their data, will be rolling out features and updates this year in response to more demand for and attention on data security. "It's one of the key questions we get asked," May said. Companies are trying to prevent a breach that would be embarrassing at best, or crippling at worst, if secret or proprietary information is leaked. "Since Christmas, there's been a big uptick in companies taking a more proactive view towards this," said Cynthia Larose, chairman of Mintz Levin's Privacy & Security Practice. "People are more than a little bit nervous about the atmosphere." A series of high-profile data breaches have come to light in recent months, including the Target breach in which 70 million customer records were stolen. Earlier this week, Congress heard testimony from Target's CFO, and the Federal Trade Commission confirmed it is also investigating the breach. "One of the things that came out of the Target situation was not just discussions about the breach but really this evolving notion of how the data's being used, not just who has access to it," said Adam Towvim, CEO of data security company TrustLayers. Towvim said TrustLayers, which is an early stage startup that does not market itself, is being approached unsolicited by potential customers because of the high-profile breaches. "It has clearly increased concerns," Towvim said. "They're saying 'I definitely need to prevent the next Target.'" Sensitive data was also stolen from Neiman Marcus recently, and personal information, including Social Security numbers, of 70,000 Coca-Cola employees was exposed. Last year, hackers accessed credit card information from hundreds of convention-goers from the payment system of The Briar Group, owner of 10 local restaurants. In February, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released guidelines for businesses to measure their security. Companies also are starting to take steps to monitor and account for how the data is used and accessed. Businesses want to present themselves as secure and trustworthy, Towvim said. "Being able to really account for the proper use of data, that's a big thing we hear," he said. "It's really about trust, making sure that regulators trust you, making sure that business partners and consumers trust you." As companies collect more data, how to protect it and track access is going to become more of a priority, Towvim said. Larose said companies that are seen as at risk of a data breach could take a hit from investors. "It is a huge liability," she said. ___ (c)2014 the Boston Herald Visit the Boston Herald at www.bostonherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |