Utimaco- a Member of the Sophos
Group, today announced it will be leading a series of educational
initiatives across Massachusetts aimed at helping companies
understand new state data security legislation mandating the
protection of customer data. Utimaco and Sophos have teamed up with
Peritus Security, a top IT
security consultancy, to conduct the sessions that will educate
Massachusetts-based C-level executives and security managers on
rapidly changing regulatory laws that will impact their
businesses.
The educational sessions come on
the heels of the recent passage of 201 CMR 17.00, legislation
demanding that companies with Massachusetts' resident data must
verify that the data is safeguarded against theft. The mandate has
left many companies unsure of how to formulate a written security
plan and appoint an internal owner of compliance objectives.
The educational sessions, which will be held next week in
Springfield,
Newton and
Boston, will feature commentary from Utimaco, Sophos and
Peritus Security executives, as well as Ropes and Gray, a renowned
national law firm with offices in Massachusetts. Utimaco will also
share insights into how their customers are leveraging better
management principles and advanced technology to meet compliance
objectives. The sessions are in addition to a new website Utimaco
will preview at the event, called the Compliance and Regulation
Portal, that will keep companies fully up-to-date on regulatory
news and information.
Each session, entitled "The Business Impact of Data Security
Regulations" will feature presentations by industry experts Nagraj
Seshadri of Utimaco, John Metzger of Sophos, Kurt Baumgarten of
Peritus Security, and Christine M. Santariga, Esq., CIPP and David
McIntosh, Esq., Partner of Ropes and Gray.
Topics covered during the event will include:
- An overview of Massachusetts' data protection legislation, 201
CMR 17.00, from both legal and business perspectives
- An introduction to the compliance process roadmap
- Data encryption security technologies necessary for
compliance
- Best practices for ensuring compliance with endpoint
protection, gateway protection and access control
The sessions kick off in Springfield on March 24 and will also
be held in Boston and Newton on March 25. The sessions are free and
open to the public. For additional information or to register,
visit .
Recent high-profile data breaches have prompted outcries from
consumers and new regulatory mandates imposed on companies.
According to the The Identity Theft Resource Center, a record high
600 data breaches occurred in 2008 and each breach cost companies
upwards of $7 million, on top of damages such as bad press,
tarnished reputations, and lost customer loyalty. Though the price
of a data breach is skyrocketing, the cost of technology to protect
data and avoid such attacks has remained constant. Even with the
current economic crisis and limited IT budgets, it is now more cost
effective for companies of all sizes to deploy encryption solutions
than it is to put data at risk of loss or theft.
"Companies don't have to be overwhelmed by the upcoming
Massachusetts legislation and other pending mandates," said Nagarj
Seshadri, Head of Product Marketing, Utimaco. "These laws
underscore the fact that, as the cost and ramifications of a data
breach continue to soar, the best investment a company can make is
in encryption solutions that will protect valuable customer data.
Utimaco remains committed to helping companies make the compliance
process quick, affordable and stress-free and seeing the true
business value in IT security."
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.