'Data must be kept secure by employees'
28/03/2008 10:10:11
Employees are vital to keeping sensitive information secure, research has found.
According to the 2008 Information Security Breaches Survey, while many companies have invested in IT security policies, staff are not always aware of the best measures to keep information safe.
"Of course, having a security policy alone does not magically improve security awareness among staff," said Chris Potter, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the organisations which carried out the survey.
"What companies are realising is that increasing security awareness is only part of the answer. The critical issue is changing the behaviour of their people," he added.
The survey found that that the number of businesses with an information security policy has quadrupled over the last eight years with seven out of eight large companies claiming to have one.
However, Mr Potter said a 'click' mentality has emerged whereby employees choose the fastest options during their work rather than following secure processes.
The research was carried out for the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform.
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