News Releases

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACE USA, the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, today announced the launch of a new audio podcast: “How to Respond When Sensitive Customer and Employee Data is Breached, Stolen or Compromised.” To access the podcast, (approximately 13 minutes in length), please visit: www.aceusa.com/News/Pages/Podcasts.aspx.

This is the second of two podcasts focusing on the steps that organizations and their risk managers need to take in order to prepare and respond to a data breach. In the first podcast, the panel discussed the necessary components to develop an effective data breach response plan. In the second podcast, the panel moves beyond crisis management planning and looks into how companies can respond following a breach of sensitive customer, patient, student or employee information. The panel features three specialists in insurance and risk management, law and cyber technology: Toby Merrill, Vice President, ACE Professional Risk; John Mullen, Attorney, Nelson, Levine, DeLuca & Horst; and Mark Greisiger, President, NetDiligence.

“When a data breach occurs, the ideal scenario is that management has a formal incident response plan in place in advance of the breach, outlining who inside and outside of the organization needs to be involved and what steps need to be taken,” commented Mr. Merrill. “The company needs to first assemble a crisis response team to determine exactly what happened and then begin delegating responsibilities. Depending on the severity of the breach, the team may also include a pool of independent third-party service providers who have the capabilities and experience to help organizations execute their response. Services typically include legal, computer forensic, notification, call center, public relations, crisis communications, fraud consultation, credit monitoring, and identity restoration.”

Mr. Merrill commented further on the importance of taking concrete action steps to proactively deal with a data breach, “Preparing a formal response plan is a necessity for a company. In the heat of a crisis, you don’t want to be caught unprepared. As the panel discusses in the podcast, an open and measured response can also help retain goodwill with customers and reduce the potential for legal liability down the road.”

Printed copies of both podcast scripts are also available as follows:

• ACE Podcast, 1 of 2: Preparing for the Inevitable Data Breach: What to Do Before Sensitive Customer and Employee Data is Breached, Stolen or Compromised
• ACE Podcast, 2 of 2: How to Respond: When Sensitive Customer and Employee Data is Breached, Stolen or Compromised

Staffed by a team of innovative underwriters, ACE Professional Risk is the operating unit within ACE USA, which distributes management liability, professional liability and surety products through retail brokers throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information about ACE Professional Risk and its range of products and services, please visit: www.aceusa.com.

ACE USA is the U.S.-based retail operating division of the ACE Group, and is rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company and A+ (Strong) by Standard & Poor’s. ACE USA, through its underwriting companies, provides insurance products and services throughout the U.S. Additional information on ACE USA and its products and services can be found at www.aceusa.com. Celebrating 25 years of insuring progress, the ACE Group is a global leader in insurance and reinsurance serving a diverse group of clients. Headed by ACE Limited (NYSE:ACE), the ACE Group conducts its business on a worldwide basis with operating subsidiaries in more than 50 countries. Additional information can be found at: www.acelimited.com.