Iron Mountain advises businesses on how to better protect their information
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Jan 13, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --Recent research by information management company Iron Mountain
reveals that 20 per cent of businesses across Europe view the risk of
employee theft as the most serious threat to information security.
They see the risk as greater to the business than IT failure,
cybercrime or natural disaster.
The research, undertaken for Iron Mountain(i), suggests a breakdown
of employer confidence in staff intentions and a lack of faith in
internal controls.
It seems that the level of concern may not be entirely misplaced.
Global research published last month by network provider Verizon(ii)
found that while just 17 per cent of data breaches implicated
insiders, the potential impact of employee theft is greater than that
of an external threat, with insiders three times more likely to steal
intellectual property than outsiders.
"When it comes to information management, people are often the
weakest link in the chain," said Florian Kastl, international
director of security, safety and business continuity at Iron
Mountain. "Information is the lifeblood of a business, and it is
vital that companies have strong controls in place to minimise, if
not prevent, the risk of employee theft. This will protect employees,
the business, its customers and its reputation."
Florian Kastl recommends implementing the following practical steps
to minimise the risk of employee theft:
- Know what you know. Identify and prioritise all the information
held by your business - everything from incorporation and legal
documents to intellectual property, financial data, sales projections
and roadmaps, customer and HR records.
- Establish robust internal processes to reduce opportunities for
theft - with the strongest controls for the most important or
sensitive information. This should include an audit of when, where
and how people come into contact with information as it travels
through the business. This will help to identify points of potential
vulnerability where access should be restricted. Make use of
appropriate technology or secure on- or offsite document storage to
lock away and protect your information; and have a clear and visible
policy for violations.
- Ensure HR processes support information-protection policies. Robust
recruitment checks, the monitoring of changes in behaviour patterns
and a formal exit strategy will help to minimise opportunities for
theft. Employees leaving a company, particularly if moving to a
competitor or if departing under a cloud have been known to take
company information with them.
- Ensure your policies are sufficiently resilient to cope with
business changes - such as an acquisition or merger - and are robust
enough to meet increasingly stringent regulatory demands.
(i)Iron Mountain - Document Management Study, Coleman Parkes, October
2011
(ii)2011 Data Breach Investigation Report - Verizon RISK team with
the US Secret Service and the Netherlands' High Tech Crime Unit
About Iron Mountain:
Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) provides information
management services that help organisations lower the costs, risks
and inefficiencies of managing their physical and digital data. The
Company's solutions enable customers to protect and better use their
information-regardless of its format, location or lifecycle stage-so
they can optimise their business and ensure proper recovery,
compliance and discovery. Founded in 1951, Iron Mountain manages
billions of information assets, including business records,
electronic files, medical data and more for organisations around the
world. Visit www.ironmountain.co.uk for more information.
Contacts:
Iron Mountain
Phil Riley
+32 (0) 470 901 952
publicrelations@emea.ironmountain.com
Iron Mountain
Lauren Wood
+44118 909 0909
publicrelations@emea.ironmountain.com
www.ironmountain.co.uk
SOURCE: Iron Mountain
mailto:publicrelations@emea.ironmountain.com
http://www.ironmountain.co.uk