By Daniel Santa Cruz

MegaPath has introduced a Data Breach Risk Calculator designed to help businesses estimate the probability of a data breach and associated costs.

Based off of responses to a 10-question survey, the calculator gives information that can be used to assess potential data-breach exposure for companies.

The Data Breach Risk Calculator provides three analyses: overall data breach cost as a range variable, the probability of a data brach within the next 12 months, and five subcomponents of data breach detection and escalation, containment and remediation, information loss, business interruption and reputation impact.

The Data Breach Risk Calculator also provides a detailed report explaining 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 run 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 MegaPath-commissioned Ponemon study that interviewed more than 700 IT and administrative practitioners working in health-care organizations with 250 or fewer employees.