When it comes to data breaches, the risk for organizations is high, from the easily calculable costs of notification and business loss, to the less tangible effects on a company’s brand and customer loyalty. Consider the numbers: Total breach costs have grown every year since 2006, and in 2012, data breaches cost companies an average of $234 per compromised record, up $20 or 10% from last year, according to the 2012 Ponemon study.

The upside for companies nationwide is that they can minimize their risk. To avoid what sometimes amounts to operational paralysis, organizational leaders need to follow some basic guidelines. In the following video, we share several proactive measures a business can take to prevent a data breach: