As more and more businesses use email as their preferred means of communication they open themselves up to the risk of their data ending up in the hands of the wrong recipient. A large majority of companies don’t have the correct security measures in place to enable them to encrypt any emails which contain sensitive information. This means that a) their data could end up in the hands of the wrong recipient, or b) they could face a large fine from the ICO for losing the data, as many health organizations and local councils have done this year.
A study that was recently carried out stated that many businesses were going to put a higher proportion of their budget into their online security in 2013, however one senior source claims that businesses are over reacting to information security. They have suggested that when a business decides to implement a plan to help bolster their online information they have a rather ‘gun ho’ approach whereby they secure each and every single piece of information rather than just selecting the most important details to secure – his argument is that many companies make it too complicated, when it could actually be fairly simple.
Whatever your approach, one thing is for sure, and that’s the fact that businesses do need to consider the very real threat of their data being hacked, and they need to ensure that the right measures are in place to prevent their information ending up with the wrong person. There has been lots of talk about information security lately, with many businesses now pledging to put more money into their businesses' information security due to many high-profile data breaches that have occurred just this year. Information assurance specialists, SBL, have further information on their website about the various information security solutions available.