Poor data protection in the UK, survey shows


21 Oct 2009

A high percentage of UK companies have inadequate data protection policies in place, a survey released today shows.

The Threat Assessment survey from Novell reveals 71pc of companies said they don’t encrypt data on laptops, while 73pc of companies don’t encrypt data on removable storage devices, exposing the company to significant risk if these devices are lost or stolen.

Meanwhile, 72pc of respondents said they don’t control the data that is copied to removable storage devices or optical writers, and 78pc don’t report what data is written to removable storage devices, creating the potential for inappropriate data distribution and compliance issues.

Data vulnerability

Most companies in the survey (90pc) said their end users access open, non-secured wireless networks when outside of the office (ie, hotspots, hotels, coffee shops), leaving endpoints and data vulnerable to attacks.

Network endpoints are devices such as desktops, notebooks, smart phones, MP3 players and thumb drives.

“Endpoint security threats are evolving at a rapid pace,” said Grant Ho, senior solution manager for endpoint management at Novell. “Every day, vital customer data is lost due to lax security practices.”

Article courtesy of businessandleadership.com