So…where is your data? And what is your backup plan? Is it like Ma.gnolias (a free site to store your web browsing bookmarks)? Who apparently didn’t have a backup plan, as the entire site was hosed by some unknown error (I suspect that their database got corrupted, and backups weren’t’ available). One place for the story here http://blog.wired.com/business/2009/01/magnolia-suffer.html .

Or, in these uncertain economic times, do you have a procedure that disables access when your network administrator is let go? Or are you like the folks at “Fannie Mae” (US govt housing mortgage agency), who told a contractor he was fired, but didn’t revoke his access? Seems that he was a bit miffed at the whole thing, so he put a logic bomb on their servers that would have deleted all their data on all servers. See here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/29/fannie_mae_sabotage_averted/ ).

If your company may start downsizing, do you have proper access controls on your data? If you gave an employee two weeks’ notice, could they start deleting files? Or changing some spreadsheet formulas?

Something to think about for your personal data … and your company’s data. Could your company survive a disgruntled employee’s nefarious action on your data?