Ground Labs Launches Data Discovery Tool for Privacy Compliance

SEATTLE, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Ground Labs, the global leader in sensitive data discovery software, has today launched Data Recon, a Personally Identifiable Information (PII) discovery tool designed to address global privacy benchmarks.

Developed in response to the growing needs of organisations to meet standards for managing the private information of customers, Data Recon searches computers, networks, and cloud storage for confidential customer information that is being held in unsafe and insecure formats and locations.

Data Recon has been launched as governments around the world increasingly regulate the compliance standards related to the use and storage of personal information. The software has been designed for international use to meet the privacy regulatory requirements of more than 50 countries around the world.

The Data Recon software gives companies a full audit of any PII and other sensitive information held within their corporate systems, enabling them to permanently delete, quarantine, or mask certain data types that are at-risk, preventing that data being stolen in the event of a security breach. The software searches hundreds of different file-types - including scanned images - across multiple computing platforms.

The new Data Recon software uses Ground Labs' advanced search algorithms coupled with an easy-to-use interface and applies it to a broader set of personal customer data including:

• Public and Private health insurance identifiers (HIPAA)
• Credit Card Information (PCI DSS)
• National IDs and identifiers, like Social Security Numbers (SSNs) or Tax File Numbers (TFNs)
• Bank account details and business registration information
• Personal names, home addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth
• Passport numbers and License numbers

"It is regularly reported that organisations of all size have lost vast amounts of data through security breaches. This sensitive data has the potential to personally identify individual customers - resulting in identity theft," said Ground Labs Co-Founder and Director of Corporate Development, Stephen Cavey.

"This has become a large and difficult issue, and governments all over the world are setting much tougher benchmarks for ensuring the security of customer data. And they are issuing significant financial penalties for companies that do not adequately protect customer information," Mr Cavey said.

"Many companies are not aware of how much personal information is contained within their corporate IT systems, let alone whether it is all securely and safely stored. This explains why large-scale data breaches have occurred so easily. Data Recon attempts to combat this threat by finding any personal customer information and then assisting to make it secure and compliant," he said.

"One of the simplest ways to protect your customers is to know where sensitive data is held, permanently delete what you don't need, and adequately secure the sensitive information that you need to store."

"Organisations can find themselves exposed to both reputational risk and real financial penalties by not adequately protecting personal data of customers. But many don't know what the risks are, because they are not aware what data they storing or where it is located," Mr Cavey said.

Ground Labs flagship credit card data discovery products Card Recon and Enterprise Recon are best-in-class, by more than 2,500 customers worldwide, including global brands like HP, Lego, Marriott, Adidas and IKEA.

"Ground Labs has developed world-leading expertise in sensitive data discovery. Our engineers are subject matter experts in this unique discipline and use their capabilities to create the smartest, most efficient search algorithms in this niche," Mr Cavey said.

Ground Labs is the global leader in cardholder data discovery software. With Data Recon, it has now applied its technology leadership to data governance and privacy compliance.

Founded in 2007 by two Australian entrepreneurs, Ground Labs is headquartered in Singapore and has grown to include follow-the-sun offices in London and Seattle.

About Ground Labs:

Ground Labs is a global leader in the development of security and auditing software solutions for the payment card industry and for privacy compliance. Its flagship products, Card Recon, Enterprise Recon, and Data Recon, identify data storage risks on thousands of computer systems worldwide, helping companies prevent security breaches that result in the theft of customers' credit and debit card numbers, and other personal customer data. For more information and a free product trial, visit http://www.groundlabs.com.

Russell Poffenroth
Email: [email protected]  
Phone: +1 360.930.0311 | Mobile: +1 360.930.2605

SOURCE Ground Labs Pte Ltd