According to a recent study, the number of UK High Court disputes relating to data theft reached a record high last year.
It’s easy for organisations to extoll the virtues of going paperless. Eliminating hard copies in favour of digital data makes it possible to work more efficiently, extrapolate and forecast trends, and make backups to protect assets from loss or destruction.
However, if you’re not taking appropriate measures to secure that data, you could be making it much easier for thieves to steal business-critical information into the bargain.
According to a recent study by law firm EMW, the number of High Court disputes over data theft in the UK reached a record-high last year – increasing by a staggering 58 per cent on the preceding twelve-month period.
In total, the High Court dealt with 167 cases focusing on the theft of confidential information in 2012 – more than three times as many as in 2010, when just 45 were handled.
EMW principal Mark Finn speculated that this is partly because it’s become so easy for the wrong people – such as disgruntled employees – to not only lay eyes on confidential assets, but to walk away with them too.
For example, a database that might have taken years to compile can now be copied onto a USB flash drive or public cloud service "by virtually anyone in seconds", he claimed.
Mr Finn continued: "Whether this is to help competitors or to set up in business on their own, it’s as unlawful as any other high-value breach of confidential information."
Another reason he gave for the increase is that the UK is beginning to recover from the recession, meaning lots of people are looking to change their jobs for the first time in years – and some businesses, having identified new opportunities for growth, are willing to outright poach staff from rivals.
This means it’s more important than ever for organisations to keep their information safe. Dajon offers a range of services to this end – for instance, our electronic document management solutions offer unmatched encryption and auditing features.
To discuss your concerns over information security, why not give us a call today?