With the holiday season approaching, businesses should be particularly vigilant for cyber threats and understand risks that could compromise sensitive data, warns Holmes Murphy & Associates. In an online assessment taken by its clients, Holmes Murphy found that 88 percent of organizations said they store or process sensitive data. At the same time, 84 percent of respondents said they either do not have or aren’t aware of whether their company’s laptops have full-disk encryption. The West Des Moines-based insurance brokerage anticipates that heavier retail traffic this year will encourage more activity by cyber criminals. “Knowing this is the case, it is important actions are in place to ensure threats are diminished,” said Nick Maletta, Holmes Murphy’s cyber liability practice leader. “We encourage companies to know how the system works, where the data is, who has access to it, and how it’s secured. Identifying this exposure prior to the holidays is crucial.” To take Holmes Murphy’s information security online assessment, click here.