Large international corporations like Sony have had multiple exploits of their network security, which may leave smaller businesses feeling an overwhelming sense of foreboding at the prospect of maintaining the integrity of their business systems and digital information. As more electronic applications are utilized for business purposes, companies must be ever vigilant against third party access seeking to mine information from company networks. Just as individuals must be cautious with passwords to protect personal identity, businesses must do the same.

On a pretty routine basis, privacy issues that implicate the way businesses network are being examined in the news, in classrooms, in governments, and in courtrooms. Companies like Apple, AT&T, Google and more are making headlines for their privacy policies and potential violations of laws protecting privacy. Questions of legal versus ethical violations of privacy all boil down to an unavoidable fact: as the world moves more fully towards a digital age, information is vulnerable to exploit.

In the pursuit of profits, popular companies such as Google utilize questionable privacy practices to conduct business. Google currently collects and shares personal information among all sites on the Google network. Apple is another big company being criticized for privacy practices. The popularity of the multitude of useful and entertaining apps has revealed access to savvy businesses and hackers alike to mine for sensitive data. Congress is looking into issues, only recently addressed, with Apple systems leaving a digital barn door open for unsolicited data collectors to mine for personal contact information.

Business professionals cannot risk burying their heads in the proverbial sand when it comes to protecting business assets. It’s imperative to put up a good fight, because the vitality of each business affects the prosperity of many individuals and the overall forecast for national economies. If you have concerns about the integrity of your company’s information systems, consult with a network security specialist to create strategies to reduce risks of exploit and manage vulnerability.