Research predicts dramatic increase in volume and value of fines
Between now and 2025, 37% of people in work expect the number and value of fines faced by employers for data breaches to increase – with 6% anticipating a dramatic rise. Just 3% anticipate a fall.
The findings, which are from DSA Connect, an IT asset disposal company that specialises in the permanent deletion and destruction of electronic data, also reveal that when it comes to fines for employers linked to the inadequate deletion and destruction of data, the corresponding figures are 32%, 4% and 2% respectively.
One of the main reasons for this trend is that employees now have access to much more data than ever before. Over the past 12 months, 30% of people say they are working with more data at work, with 7% saying the level has fallen and 57% claiming there has been no change.
Overall, 76% of people believe their employers have ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ processes for storing data safely, and just 5% think they are poor, with the remaining 20% saying they don’t know.
However, a clear failing of their policies is revealed by the fact that when asked if their employer had a data sanitisation policy, 38% of people said yes, 14% said no and 47% said they didn’t know.
Harry Benham, chairman of DSA Connect said: “With developments such as the Internet of Things (IoT) employers are dealing with more data than ever. They also have to contend with a rise in the number of cyber-attacks and ever more stringent legislation around protecting client data and how they use it.
“Employers need to invest more time and resources in enhancing their strategies against this.”
DSA Connect is an IT asset disposal specialist. It specialises in the erasure and destruction of electronic data using tools certified by CESG and approved by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It ensures that all data storage media and equipment is removed from a client’s premises and transported to its secure facility in unmarked, tracked vehicles.
The company was established in 2011 to partner the Ministry of Defence in developing the MoD’s asset disposal service.
