ID Experts and Kivu Consulting Partnership Solves Data Breach Complexities

Investigation and Incident Response to Comply with All State and Federal Requirements; Free Webinar "How to Take Action When a Security Breach Hits" on Thursday, October 28

PORTLAND, OR. and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 14, 2010 – Responding to a data breach incident can pose immense complexities for any organization. Helping hospitals, universities, government agencies, and financial institutions get back to business post-breach is the driving force behind the partnership of ID Experts and Kivu Consulting, by effectively and quickly responding to a breach and complying with the 47 federal and state breach notification laws.

"Since data breach incidents are often complex and require immediate attention, turning to third-party expertise is a smart option for some organizations in order to protect customers, students, employees, or patients. Frankly, most companies don't have this expertise in-house," said Ian Glazer, senior analyst, identity and privacy strategies, Gartner Group. "And often, there's a short window to respond. Case in point is California, which requires notification in just five days."

Immediate Investigations Required

Data breaches can occur in numerous ways—from an overseas hacker penetrating a secure network, to an employee's laptop stolen from a car. They all share one common element. Conducting an immediate investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident, followed by an objective and documented assessment of regulatory obligations, is critical for compliance and achieving a positive outcome. When personally identifiable information or protected health information has been exposed, regardless of the reason, ID Experts and Kivu Consulting offer a complete and defensible data breach incident response plan. This includes forensics and digital analysis; evaluating the risks and potential harm; ensuring compliance with state and federal laws or any Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) investigations; and notification of those affected.

Free Webinar: "How to Take Action When a Security Breach Hits"

A free webinar "How to Take Action When a Security Breach Hits" will be held on Thursday, October 28 at 10:00 a.m. PT. ID Experts and Kivu Consulting will share their experience by outlining the steps to take when a security incident occurs and what organizations need to do to protect their customers and their business. From Kivu Consulting, Winston Krone, attorney and managing director, and Kai Lintumaa, senior forensic analyst, will discuss the investigative components to a data breach response. Mahmood Sher-Jan, senior director at ID Experts, will outline specific incident assessment, response, and notification steps so that companies cover their bases and do right by their customers and patients. To view the webinar click here.

About Kivu Consulting

Kivu Consulting combines technical and legal experience to offer investigative, data breach, and computer forensic analysis services to clients worldwide. Based in San Francisco, Kivu also has offices in New York and Los Angeles, with associate offices in London and Johannesburg, South Africa. Kivu Consulting is a licensed California private investigation firm and compliant with HHS Business Associate requirements. For more information, visit http://www.kivuconsulting.com/.

About ID Experts

ID Experts is the leader in comprehensive data breach solutions that deliver the most positive outcomes. The company has managed hundreds of data breach incidents, protecting millions of affected individuals, for leading healthcare organizations, corporations, financial institutions, universities and government agencies. In healthcare, the company contributes to relevant legislation and rules including HITECH and is a corporate member of HIMSS. ID Experts is active with organizations that advocate for privacy for Americans including ANSI/Identity Theft Prevention, Identity Management Standards Panel and the International Association of Privacy Professionals. For more information, visit https://www.idexpertscorp.com/.

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Media Contact:
Kelly Stremel
MacKenzie Marketing Group for ID Experts
503-225-0725
kellys@mackenzie-marketing.com
Winston Krone, Esq.
Kivu Consulting, Inc.
415-524-7320
wkrone@kivuconsulting.com