news
We aim to make our client partnership the perfect pairing
To contact your local Wilkins Kennedy office please log on to our website
www.wi l k i n s ke n n e d y. c om
Forty one percent of IT security professionals carry sensitive data unprotected
A survey has revealed that 41% of a supposedly security-aware audience are carrying sensitive information on mobile devices unprotected, leaving large numbers of organisations prime targets for information thieves.
With 70% of organisations making data encryption mandatory, 11% of those respondents carrying sensitive information unprotected are actually breaching their organisation’s data protection efforts, while the other 30% are simply following their organisations’ woefully inadequate example. When digging a little deeper, the study uncovered a staggering 37% of respondents who confessed that between 81 and 100% of all sensitive data stored on their device(s) was actually left unprotected – not just one or two documents transferred in a hurry.
The study amongst IT security professionals at this year’s Infosecurity Europe show, conducted by Basingstoke- based secure storage specialist Origin Storage, reveals that 19% of respondents said that their organisation had suffered a data breach following the loss of a portable device such as a laptop, USB or CD, with 54% confessing that the device had not been encrypted – an offence under the Data Protection Act and subject to regulatory action by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2011
Andy Cordial, managing director of Origin Storage, explains: “When you consider the level of knowledge this audience is assumed to have, working in IT and having some form of security remit, yet the lax protection used for sensitive data, it’s hardly surprising data breaches are increasing in frequency and especially recently in size. I’m astounded that 30% of organisations are still oblivious to the Data Protection Act and the recommendation from the Information Commissioner that encryption be used to protect sensitive information.”
The problem of sensitive data isn’t restricted to any particular device, with 67% of respondents using laptops, 52% using USBs, 33% still relying on CDs and 52% using another form of portable storage device.
A final startling revelation is that just 36% of visitors
felt that Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) certification is ‘a must’ for encryption technology.
Cordial concludes: “The ICO recommends any solution should meet FIPS 140-2 yet 31% of our sample flippantly state that it “doesn’t matter”. Certification is the only ‘proof’ that the product actually does what the company ‘claims’ it does. It’s not just me saying this because our products
have the certification as there have been incidences where products have fundamental design problems, or even companies that have made false claims. My advice – don’t leave security to chance. Lock it down with something that’s actually proven to work or there is a strong possibility you’ll be crying over spilled data.
Details:
www.originstorage.com
7
Corporate Landscape Maintenance Services Create • Enhance • Maintain
Horticultural Solutions for Commercial Clients PH 01672 541 307 MOB 0777 966 6326
info@gibbonsgardening.co.uk www.
gibbonsgardening.co.uk
We aim to enhance your property
www.businessmag.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44