In 2017, Equifax suffered a data breach caused by a website application vulnerability. The
company lost the personal details of 145 million U.S. citizens, including names, social
security numbers and drivers license numbers. This all occurred during a three-month
period (May to July, 2017) but was not discovered until September.
4. Cybersecurity
It is true that the global COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the economy, causing supply
chain disruption and stock shortages, reduced productivity and limited resources, and the
reduction (or elimination) of jobs and businesses. But even more importantly, the pandemic
turned the traditional workforce model upside down.
Consider these statistics from Global Workforce Analytics:
While these workforce changes offer many benefits, they also open companies up to a wide
array of risks from cyber threats including ransomware attacks, data breaches and online
hackers. According to RightScale's 2019 State of the Cloud Report:
In an era of big data and the Internet of things, the lack of data security can result in
substantial penalties, financial fallout, and damaged brands. The worst-case scenario is
business failure or bankruptcy. Take Equifax as an example:
4.1%
of all U.S. employees
were telecommuting
half-time or more
before the
pandemic
69%
of all U.S. employees
worked remotely
during the peak of
the pandemic
215%
recorded growth of
regular
telecommuting
between 2005 and
2019
91% 72% 69%
Respondents Who
Haved Used A
Public Cloud
Respondents Who
Have Used A
Private Cloud
Respondents With
At Least 1 Public &
1 Private Cloud
LEVERAGING DATA | 7
