29 Mar 2010

Businesses advised to 'take security seriously'

Companies across the UK have been urged to take their data security seriously in order to avoid new, stronger fines from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Stewart Room, a partner at the Privacy and Information Law Group, said the ICO will soon be able to fine a business up to £500,000 if it is found to have recklessly endangered the confidential files of its clients.

He commented: "You can't unravel the past and pretend the breach didn't occur; it's what you do from that point on that will determine your culpability."

As such, data security should be a top priority for IT professionals in the months and years ahead.

Elsewhere, Jens Kirschner, spokesperson for 7safe, recently said companies in the private sector are lagging behind in terms of promoting data security when compared to their counterparts in public organisations.

He noted businesses in the private sector need to improve their data security protocols as cybercriminals are increasingly targeting these firms.