In the tech world, data security is always a hot topic. In consumer land, due to some well publicized data breaches in recent years, the public has also learned a thing or two. At the very least, most customers know that when a website mentions cookies it's not just some marketing sign up promotion.

This week, Australia has been hit with the biggest data breach in its history. Optus, Australia's second largest telcom provider, has advised that potentially 10 million customers could be compromised. This is not telephone bill account numbers and online portal passwords. It's license numbers, addresses, passport numbers, and dates of birth Critical customer identifiers which could have catastrophic financial and personal impact for customers, not to mention detrimental brand and business impact to the organization.

The data breach is a jolting reminder of the trust customers instill in organizations when it comes to their data and their identity, and the accountability companies must show in times of crisis.