Imagine your life as a conservative, family values politician, or maybe even a minister, leading a flock of faithful men and women, your devoted wife at your side and pictures of the children on the desk behind you. That’s the “Before” picture, the one you see in your mind before the Ashley Madison hack and data dump, before the world connected your name and address and, in some cases, your most intimate details with the online presence designed to optimize invisibility. The “After” picture? Well, that one’s still in process, but the smiles evaporated quickly, and it’s an image that’s likely to stick with you for a long time.

In Touch with Your Vulnerable Side

If there are lessons we can learn from Ashley Madison, one of them would surely be that, in a digital world, security and anonymity, no matter how fervently promised, are moving targets. Once you step foot in the ether, all bets are off and, in some ways, it’s a matter of time until your data is compromised. We are all vulnerable, and our dependence on that connectedness is only growing stronger. Another lesson is that a breach poses very complex threats, personal crises that only multiply in scope at the organizational level. Embracing our vulnerability is the first step.

Renewing Your Vows

Your organization makes certain promises to your stakeholders. Primarily, you agree to have and to hold their data, in sickness and in health, through the good times and the bad, until death or corporate dissolution separates you. ICS can help you preserve that trust by quantifying the weak points in your network. Regularly scheduled Vulnerability Assessments can set your network on secure footing, renewing your commitment to your customers and staff, keeping them from being distracted by the empty promise of greener pastures.