IndexHow Data Loss Occurs in an OrganizationCommon Causes of Data LossHow to Deal with the Trend of Data Loss:This document covers what exactly is data loss of data and common methods on how this occurs in an organization. It also deals with the mitigation measures that should be taken to limit these types of losses. The increase in communication methods used by organizations to communicate both internally and externally has also increased the chances of data ending up in the hands of people it shouldn't. According to Papadimitriou and Garcia-Molina (2011), data leakage in an organization has always cost organizations millions or billions of dollars, directly or indirectly. Gordon (2007) defines data leakage as the transmission of data/information from within the organization to an external recipient without authorization. The transmission of data/information can be carried out via physical or electronic means. Usually, the term data leak is used synonymously with information leak. The term unauthorized in this essay is not necessarily malicious or intentional. The transmission may be unauthorized, but still unintentional. In this essay, I will discuss how data leakage happens in organizations, the most common causes of data leakage, and how this problematic trend (data leakage) can be addressed in an organization. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay How Data Leak Occurs in an Organization According to Gordon (2007), the best way to formulate a method to prevent data leak is to understand how data leak occurs before and through understanding the kind of information that leaks most commonly today. Publicly disclosed data related to data leak breaches indicates that more customer data is typically leaked than any other type of data. The following table indicates the various categories of leaked data and their respective percentages. Source: Gordon (2007) Data leakage can be classified into two main categories, namely internal and external. Gordon states that the data compilation carried out by “PerkinsCoie. com” and “EPIC. org" indicates that the majority of data leaks occur through internal sources. As a percentage, 52% of all data security breaches arise from internal sources compared to 48% that arise from external sources. Of the 52% of data security breaches data security derived from internal sources, further research indicates that only 1% are due to malicious/intentional leaks, while the vast majority, 96%, are caused by inadvertent leaks Unintentional leaks can be further broken down to reveal that 46% of inadvertent losses arise from employee oversight, while 50% arise from inadequate business processes within the organization. Some of the main internal vectors through which data security breaches occur are instant messaging, email electronic mail, web logs, malicious web pages, file transfer protocols, storage media, hard copies, cameras, inadequate folder/file security, and inadequate database security. . Every year, in the United States and around the world, the personal information of millions of people ends up in the wrong hands. All these factors contribute heavily to data loss every year, which often leads to serious effects for the business. As businesses become more distributed, mobile employees increase the potential risk of data loss.Behaviors such as transferring files from a work device to a home computer that is not secured or maintained to IT standards, using personal communications that are not as secure as business communications, talking about sensitive business matters where others may overhear the conversation and failing to use a laptop privacy protector when working remotely in a public place invites information theft. Additionally, employees fail to safeguard equipment such as laptops and portable storage devices, which can be lost or stolen. Common Causes of Data Loss According to Guidance Software Inc., there are several causes of data loss in businesses, including cyber terrorism, human actions, lack of process, and organized crime. Cisco (2014) also commissioned Insight Express, a third-party market research firm, to carry out a study on various companies around the world to determine the causes of data leakage in companies. The study mainly aimed at data leakage caused by humans. According to the study, most data leaks occurring across the world are caused by employees and former employees of organizations, regardless of the security tools, procedures and policies applied in these organizations. The study conducted by Insight Express indicated that employees cause data loss by using unauthorized applications, misuse of company computers, unauthorized physical and network access, misuse of passwords, and remote worker security. Employees around the world use unauthorized computer programs at work, which causes more than half of data loss cases in the companies where they work. According to the study, sharing work devices between employees without supervision also occurs among 44% of all employees worldwide. Up to 39% of IT professionals in companies have found employees attempting to access parts of a physical facility or computer network for which they were not authorized. Angry employees who leave the company often want revenge, and they do so by leaking company secrets and other forms of data to entities that shouldn't have them. Logging out of a computer and using a password are some of the oldest and simplest means of computer security. It's hard to imagine that today's tech-savvy users can bypass these basic security features, but they do, and in surprising numbers. At least one in three employees said they leave their computers on and unlocked when they are away from their desk, such as when they go to lunch or come home in the evening. Another common practice is to leave your laptop on your desk overnight, sometimes without logging off. One in five employees stores system login information and passwords on their computer or writes them down and leaves them on their desks, in unlocked cabinets or glued to their computers. The physical risk of storing data on third-party servers, the security and physical location of which are not under your control, can be reduced by implementing physical security, limited access, video surveillance and 24-hour biometric access to safeguard your data . The risk of bankruptcy is another major threat to businesses. A server should ideally offer 100% runtime and problems should be resolved in real time with no downtime. This risk can be overcome by having a team of dedicated professionals who can resolve the issues. A reliable hosting provider must and should meet all these user requirements and expectations. This is what it means to be.