Industry news

Most UK firms regularly lose data, claims survey

The majority of UK companies are losing data on a monthly basis, according to a new survey.

A CA poll of 250 senior IT staff at large businesses found that nearly four fifths (79 per cent) of firms employing more than 1,000 staff lost data every four weeks, Silicon.com reports.

The research also revealed that more than a quarter (28 per cent) lost data on a weekly basis.

Nearly one quarter (24 per cent) of firms suffered network downtime, 30 per cent suffered application crashes and more than a quarter (27 per cent) had a slowing of applications, according to the study.

Meanwhile, HM Revenue and Customs was criticised last year when chancellor Alistair Darling reported that the personal details of 25 million people claiming child benefits had been lost in the post.

A Liberal Democrat proposal to clamp down on data losses was approved by the House of Commons last week after being previously passed in the House of Lords in April.

The new law now makes it a civil offence to "intentionally or recklessly" disclose personal data and anyone guilty of doing so would face a "substantial" fine.