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Gary Sutherland, CEO of NAPLIA will be speaking on Cyber Liability and Information Security at an upcoming seminar in Massachusetts, hosted by LeClairRyan.

Technology, government reform and new case law all play critical roles in new pitfalls for even the most well-seasoned accounting professional. A solid knowledge base can help guide you where there's no real treasure map. Where do the risk factors lie? How can emerging technologies create potential security problems? What are the audit concerns with the SEC? Feeling a little foreign to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or Dodd-Frank? New regulations on the ADAAA were published by the EEOC - as an employer, do you need to know more? Join LeClairRyan for this free event to better hone your strategies to manage risk.

Learn more, and Reserve your space

These days, it is almost impossible to be in business and not collect or hold personally identifying information (PII) about your customers, employees, or business partners. If this information falls into the wrong hands, it could put these individuals at risk for identity theft.  More than 9 million Americans have identities stolen each year, and the impact to your business from a data breach could be significant. 

At least 46 states have enacted legislation requiring notification of security breaches involving personal information.

See State Security Breach Notification Laws by State

It is essential for your business to understand your potential exposure and take specific steps to mitigate your risk.  

NAPLIA's Information Security & Cyber Liability White Paper will assist you with:

• Identifying the potential exposures faced by your firm
• The development of an Information Security policy
• Understanding the insurance options available to you

Download NAPLIA's White Paper on Information Security & Cyber Liability Now.

“Information Security” will be a term that you begin to hear more frequently.  And, as an individual and professional, it is something you should start seriously thinking about this year.

Personal Identifiable Information (PII) has become as valuable as cash, and it is important to understand how to protect your own PII, as well as, any PII that you collect from your clients.

As an Individual

PII generally consists of any information that is unique to you and includes social security number, license number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and others.  Having any of this data compromised can cost you financially, as well as, a significant amount of time.  Some steps you should consider to safeguard this information include:

1. Get a free credit report.  By law, the three major credit-reporting agencies will provide you with a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months.  https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
2. Take the time to start to manage your identity.  Understand who has your information.  Your personal information can be broken down into three key areas:
   1. Financial data
   2. Medical records
   3. Public documents

As a Professional

Your professional responsibility for the protection of your client’s PII is increasing.  The Red Flag Rules were finalized in 2010 and are now law.  Even if you do not feel the Red Flag Rules technically do not apply to you by definition, it is important to understand what steps you can take to protect your client’s information

1. Identify relevant red flags.
2. Establish procedures to detect those red flags in your operations.
3. Prevent and mitigate identity theft if you spot red flags.
4. Update your program regularly.

For more information visit, http://www.naplia.com/redflags/

What to do if you have a Data Breach

Finally, what if your client data is compromised?  NAPLIA has compiled information, including links to all State Security Breach Notification laws on our website, http://www.naplia.com/resources/identity_breach.shtml

Visit NAPLIA’s Resource page for more information on topics relevant to your business.

http://www.naplia.com/resources/index.shtml