One stolen laptop. Unlimited data up for grabs. But what should you really be concerned about?

Well, if you’re a business owner, take a look at your customers. A recent study by the Ponemon Institute indicates that after a data breach, almost one-third of the customers notified terminate their relationship with the company.

In Sue Poremba’s article on the NewsFactor Network, she details how more often than not, a data breach happens inside the company. Since companies are so concerned with outside data breaches, or potential virus infections, it’s a lot easier for IT personnel to overlook what’s going on behind closed doors rather than outside.

If you’ve been reading this blog, chances are you came across the entry about the Intel robbery. A man who worked for Intel allegedly stole files from the company’s database because he still had internal access despite the fact that he left the company. Poremba explains, “Too often, when an employee leaves a company or even transfers from one department to another, the person’s account isn’t closed or changed.” This is, as Poremba continues to describe, “perhaps the biggest breakdown in database auditing.”

Fraud concerning customer and propriety data is the number one reason for financial loss among companies. And on top of that, most breaches happen from the inside.

Now, let’s not all jump to the big S conclusion (…sabotage), but companies should still take note that your customer base can significantly drop — yes, up to one-third — when data breach occurs.

Protection like the security options offered by MyLaptopGPS can recover your data and help maintain your customer base. And certainly it’s better to be safe than sorry for yourself.