--- title: "Data Loss Costs Healthcare Billions, Biometrics Go Mainstream & Top Skills for IT Pros: Weekly Roundup" description: "Bad news this week for the healthcare industry: According to new research, data breaches and loss cost the industry billions every year. With companies and consumers alike creating more data than ever before, backup and data protection is a must. But those aren't the only topics on IT pros' minds these days. Here's a look at a few of the IT do's and don'ts on the web this week: How Much Can Data Loss Cost?" canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/data-loss-costs-healthcare-billions-biometrics-go-mainstream-top-skills-it-pros-weekly-roundup/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Data Loss Costs Healthcare Billions, Biometrics Go Mainstream & Top Skills for IT Pros: Weekly Roundup Bad news this week for the healthcare industry: According to new research, data breaches and loss cost the industry billions every year. With companies and consumers alike creating more data than ever before, backup and data protection is a must. But those aren't the only topics on IT pros' minds these days. Here's a look at a few of the IT do's and don'ts on the web this week: [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 2 min read Last updated 01 November 2016 _Bad news this week for the healthcare industry: According to new research, data breaches and loss cost the industry billions every year. With companies and consumers alike creating more data than ever before, backup and data protection is a must. But those aren't the only topics on IT pros' minds these days. Here's a look at a few of the IT do's and don'ts on the web this week:_ **How Much Can Data Loss Cost?** $1.6 billion per year for healthcare companies. That according to a new study by MeriTalk and EMC, titled Rx: ITaaS + Trust, which revealed that 28 percent of global healthcare organizations experienced data loss last year at an average cost of $807,571 per incident. The primary culprit for data loss in the healthcare industry was hardware failure (51 percent), followed by loss of power (49 ) and loss of backup power (27 ). What's more, 82 percent of respondents say their infrastructure is not prepared for a full recovery following a disaster. _Read more at Health IT Security_ **Biometrics: The Next Wave in The Consumerization of IT** As BYOD gains traction in the enterprise, IT managers struggle to secure data on employees devices without being intrusive or limiting productivity. The security measures that worked for PCs behind the firewall don't work in the mobile age. But biometric authentication, such as the iPhone 5s' Touch ID or voice recognition, can be used in conjunction with passwords to put IT managers at ease. Gartner predicts that at least 30 percent of organizations will use biometric identification by 2016. _Read more at ZDNet_ **Backups: The Ultimate Security Blanket** Your antivirus software is useful for many reasons — but it won't do any good in the event of a flood or hard drive failure. Nor does it always keep the viruses at bay. That's why Neil J Rubenking, longtime tech journalist and security expert, recommends regular backups as the "number one route to data security." He offers two tips for consumers to consider before establishing a regular backup system: * **Don't DIY:** The DIY route to backup isn’t always the best bet. “The problem with most DIY solutions is that while they ensure you don't lose access to the protected file, they also expose it to more risk," he says. "Email is inherently insecure, so emailing sensitive data isn't a great idea." * **Local Backup:**It is the simplest form of backup, but remembering to do it consistently is a pain. And regularity is key with backups. “You're definitely better off purchasing a backup solution to run on a schedule, automatically backing up files that have changed since the last backup operation.” _Read more at ITProPortal_ **What IT Pros Need To Know To Bolster Their Cloud Careers** According to the latest report from Cisco’s Cloud Index, annual global cloud IP traffic will reach 5.3 zettabytes by the end of 2017. As businesses rely more on technology to support everyday functions, IT pros need to expand their existing skill sets to be more successful, says Bill Kleyman, contributor to Data Center Knowledge. Kleyman recommends focusing on these areas: * **Understand Business Needs:** “Learn the language of the executive. Understand that they’re trying to find business challenges and correlate that to technology. If you’re able to speak the language of business, you’ll be able to better relay your IT ideas to the right people.” * **Collaboration Across Departments:** “Modern businesses are actively integrating technology functions directly into their enterprise model. This means more communication, more reliance on the data center, and a lot more demands from the IT department.” * **Look at the Big Picture:** “Here’s the challenge: you have to take IT, business and future fluctuations into consideration. From there, you’ll have to convey your ideas intelligently to a broad audience.” _Read more at Data Center Knowledge_ _[Image via MDBuyline]_ [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-one-olympic-historian-going-data-gold-sochi/) [How One Olympic Historian Is Going for Data Gold in Sochi](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-one-olympic-historian-going-data-gold-sochi/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/numbers-solving-olympic-it-puzzle/) [By the Numbers: Solving the Olympic IT Puzzle](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/numbers-solving-olympic-it-puzzle/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? 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A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read