Claudiu Popa: security breaches are 100% preventable and the process should be painless

TORONTO, Aug. 13, 2013 /CNW/ – A new industry study reports at least 56% of companies have experienced security breaches in the past two years with average losses of $9.4 million over that period. Those incidents, whether internal or external, intentional or accidental, were all preventable according to security & privacy expert Claudiu Popa, CEO of Informatica Corporation.

“I have no doubt that these figures are true. The sad part is that with adequate preparation, IT controls and employee awareness, every single incident could have been prevented. Could most companies use an extra $9million? You bet. What has been sorely lacking in our industry has been the concept that security vigilance, privacy awareness and even audits can be fun. Just ask our clients.” said Popa.

Conducted by the well respected Ponemon Institute, the cross-industry study mostly focused on 638 US businesses. Many organizations reported theoretical losses upwards of $168Million and used the figures to justify purchasing cyberinsurance.

Many organizations don’t realize how enjoyable security training and privacy education can be for employees, incorporating real situations, gamifying much of the process to maximize effectiveness. Informatica compiles test results to incrementally improve the WorkLife Security & Privacy Awareness program with each successive seminar.

Popa, whose company helps organizations prepare for and pass security audits said that “the process of preparing for a review fundamentally improves security and privacy by two-thirds. This is huge for us, because 100% of those benefits come from our 3 core services: risk assessments, staff training and risk project management”. These Informatica services are Flexsecure Verify, WorkLife and RPM respectively.

The company’s focus on quality includes fully certified employees and the exclusive use of global industry standards in its work.

About Informatica Corporation

Since 1989, Toronto-based Informatica is Canada’s most established provider of Security Awareness, with university certificate programs available on site and at University of Ontario’s Management Development Centre in Oshawa (Call 905-721-8668×3290 for the Information Risk Management Certificate program).

The company also provides Canada’s most respected security trustmark, the Statement of Trust, with every security and privacy impact assessment. Certified professionals provide Risk Project Management for Canadian businesses, associations and government agencies.

SOURCE: Informatica Security Corporation