Data Privacy Slowing Sales Cycles as Breaches Are on the Rise, Reports Say

Data privacy concerns are slowing sales cycles for up to 65 percent for businesses globally, with an average estimated delay of 7.8 weeks, Cisco reported. Enforcement of EU’s general data protection regulation to begin in May might be a factor, the study said, noting customers are increasingly concerned products and services they buy provide appropriate privacy protections. GDPR provisions apply to any company that processes, stores or uses this data. Also Thursday, the Identity Theft Resource Center and CyberScout reported U.S. data breaches in 2016 hit a record high of 1,093, a 40 percent gain over 2015. That could be partially attributed to better data breach notification reporting by states, said CEO Eva Velasquez.