A recent study conducted by the campaign group Big Brother Watch has revealed that local authorities in the UK recorded a total of 4,236 data breaches between April 2011 and April 2014, equating to roughly four per day.
It’s no new fact that employees are a big risk for organisations, with the ICO quoting that human error is responsible for 50% of data breaches. In this instance, findings include sensitive or confidential information was found to have been compromised in 260 of the cases, while private data involving children was compromised in 658 cases. Data was lost or stolen on 401 occasions, with 628 instances of incorrect or inappropriate information being shared on emails, letters and faxes. The full list of the local authorities that recorded the highest number of data breaches between April 2011 and April 2014 can be found here.
These days, organisations have ever-increasing volumes of data to handle, and in the case of the local authorities who have been named and shamed in this recent study, they need to find more effective ways to protect their sensitive and confidential data. Similarly, as the subject of information security works its way higher up the corporate agenda, the importance of creative a company-wide information security culture is becoming increasingly understood. Employee engagement at every level is required in order for a security culture to be truly present and effective.
Putting a data classification solution to work within your organisation ensures that your sensitive and confidential data are protected, whilst empowering employees to take ownership of data protection. Boldon James Classifier is one such solution to ensure you reduce the risk of your sensitive and confidential data ending up in the wrong hands while helping to nurture a data centric security culture.