MegaPath Launches Data Breach Risk Calculator

New Tool Designed to Help Small-to-Medium Sized Businesses Estimate the Cost and Likelihood of a Data Breach

MegaPath Corporation, one of the leading providers of managed data, voice, security and hosted IT services in North America, today announced the launch of its Data Breach Risk Calculator to help organizations better understand the probability of a data breach and the associated costs. Based on responses to a 10-question survey, the calculator provides participants with benchmark information that can be used to assess potential data breach exposure for their companies.

MegaPath’s Data Breach Risk Calculator generates three analyses based on users’ responses to the questionnaire:

• Overall data breach cost as a range variable,
• The probability of a data breach within the next 12 months, and
• Five subcomponents of data breach – detection and escalation, containment and remediation, information loss, business interruption, and reputation impact.

In addition to providing a snapshot of the estimated cost of a data breach, MegaPath’s Data Breach Risk Calculator also provides a detailed report that explains the methodology, directions for interpreting the results and tips for reducing the risk of a data breach.

“Many businesses today, particularly SMBs, struggle to understand their risk of exposure to a potential breach,” said Dan Foster, President, Business Markets, MegaPath. “Now, with the Data Breach Risk Calculator, customers can gain insight into the estimated cost of a data breach within their organization and work with MegaPath’s teams to identify the security tools necessary to help protect their sensitive corporate data from unauthorized access.”

The Data Breach Risk Calculator is powered by The Ponemon Institute, a firm dedicated to independent research and education that advances responsible information and privacy management practices within business and government. The calculator is based on data from a Ponemon Institute study commissioned by MegaPath that interviewed more than 700 IT and administrative practitioners working in healthcare organizations with 250 or fewer employees. The 2012 study, “Data Security in Small Healthcare Organizations,” found that almost all of the small healthcare organizations surveyed had a data breach within the 12 months leading up to the survey. Additionally, the study concluded that businesses often underestimate the financial and reputational consequences of a data breach.

Customers can turn to MegaPath’s Managed Security Services to provide comprehensive, multi-layer security that protects network and data assets, while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements. The service incorporates comprehensive Unified Threat Management (UTM) services, including firewall, intrusion prevention, anti-virus, Web filtering and anti-spam. Delivered as a SaaS solution, there is no hardware to purchase or maintain and OEM contracts to acquire.

To learn more about MegaPath’s Managed Security Services, visit www.megapath.com/security/. The Data Breach Risk Calculator is available at www.megapath.com/security/ponemon-breach-calculator/.

About MegaPath
MegaPath Corporation operates one of the largest end-to-end communications networks in the country, providing both commercial and wholesale services. The company provides a full range of data, voice, security and hosted IT services for small, medium and enterprise businesses nationwide, as well as wholesale solutions to the carrier and service-provider markets. MegaPath helps businesses easily and securely communicate between their headquarters, employees and business partners to lower costs, increase security and enhance employee productivity. For more information, visit www.megapath.com.