It is often the goal for companies large and small, from large pharmaceuticals to your local insurance broker, to protect your data from outside threats.

But what about the potential threats from the inside? A recent article in Information Week related the story of Jason Cornish a disgruntled employee from the pharmaceutical firm Shionogi. Mr. Cornish was able to access the data center and delete $800,000 worth of documents and files.

The motivation for the attack was one that in today’s environment has become increasingly common: Revenge for layoffs of colleagues and friends.

There are many techniques you can use that can help minimize the security risk of insider attacks. The first and simplest solution is to disable ex-employees’ accounts. This step alone could have saved Shionogi hundreds of thousands in damages as Mr. Cornish had resigned a few months before the attack.

Businesses need to be reminded of the importance of reviewing what users have access to your systems, and that changing passwords and resetting access rights is essential when a member of your staff leaves your employment,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos

You must also have in place a disaster recovery plan so that any damage is minimized by your ability to react. Sometimes it is hard to plan for these worst case scenarios but the repercussions of not are far too great to be ignored.