How e-discovery is safer with cloud providers.

• Position: CYBERSECURITY

According to The Wallstreet Journal, the number of breaches tracked by the national Identity Theft Resources Center was up in 2016, and the FBI reported a notable increase in ransomware. In New York, State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said data breaches in his state rose 40% last year.

A 2016 study of data breach costs by the Ponemon Institute found that the average cost of a data breach is $4 million. But for any business, the damage could extend far beyond just financial loss, including damage to its reputation and loss of customers. In addition, a company loses data that may be needed for litigation, the damage could be profound.

So how does a business best protect its data, especially in light of e-discovery considerations? According to Legaltech News, cloud service providers provide the highest level of data security for e-discovery, delivering:

* Sophisticated encryption: There are different ways to handle encryption, including methods that protect data in storage, in transit, and while moving from one application to another. Most data centers and businesses storing data onsite often don't have such technologies because they are typically expensive and complex. Also, they aren't able to make data available on demand while ensuring it is fully encrypted and widely accessible. However, some cloud providers offer all these options as part of their standard...