HOUSTON, Sept. 4, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Aldridge Company (www.aldridge.com), a leading provider, consultant and integrator of information technology and cloud computing solutions for SMBs, today announced that Vice President Mark Leary will moderate the panel, "Protecting Critical Business Data: Practical Steps for the Cloud-Computing Era." The luncheon discussion is presented free and is designed for financial and business decision makers of growing and mid-sized businesses.
Joining Mr. Leary on the panel will be David Ahola, Director at Doeren Mayhew and a 25-year veteran of fraud investigations, finance operations and EDP audits, Timothy Newman, attorney at Haynes and Boone, where he is a member of the Privacy and Data Breach practice group, and Karren Raedisch, IT Director with Rain CII.
"Most businesses think their data is safe because they can't imagine any hacker being interested in staying up all night trying to steal their data," said Leary. "What they don't consider is that their biggest risk is the sales guy who can barely copy and paste is already walking out the door with critical data each and every day."
According to Verizon's 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report, two thirds of security breaches took months or even years to discover. The report also found that nearly four out of five breaches were considered low or very low difficulty and could have been easily prevented. So-called 'social engineering' techniques targeting users — such as malware, phishing and misuse of credentials — are among the most common vulnerabilities.
"I look forward to delving into two topics in particular – the security implications of the BYOD trend toward allowing employees to access company networks using their own smartphones, tablets and laptops, and what cloud computing means for security," said Leary. "The panel will discuss the practical steps businesses should take to step up defenses and to detect breaches as quickly as possible through a blend of people, processes and technology."
The Aldridge Company joins other members of The STAR Alliance, including BBVA Compass, USI, Doeren Mayhew, and Haynes and Boone, as sponsors of, "Protecting Critical Business Data: Practical Steps for the Cloud-Computing Era." It will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at BBVA Compass Tower in Houston. To register, visit http://2013events.eventbrite.com.
About The Aldridge Company
The Aldridge Company is a Houston, Texas-based technology management, consulting and outsourcing company. Founded in 1984, the company brings a winning combination of professional technical expertise, extensive capabilities and a strict focus on the importance of business processes. The Aldridge Company is a leading provider, consultant and integrator of Information Technology and Cloud Computing solutions. In 2011, the company was listed as No. 11 on the Houston Business Journal's Fast Tech 50 list of fastest growing Houston technology companies.