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New data breaches put spotlight on security
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Admissions of new data breaches have upped scrutiny of data security procedures and led to criticism of the government. The loss of data held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and a second breach at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were leapt on by the Lib Dems and Tories. Records of three million learner drivers were lost by a DVLA contractor in the US, while 6,500 pension details on a data cartridge went missing in HMRC's Cardiff offices. Speaking in Parliament after the transport minister Ruth Kelly admitted to the DVLA breach, Lib Dem transport spokesperson Susan Kramer described the situation as "mind bending" and her Conservative counterpart Theresa Villiers claimed the government is "failing in their duty to obey their own laws on data protection". This all follows the major data breach at the HMRC last month in which 25 million people were left exposed to fraudsters after two unencrypted CDs containing their personal data were lost in transit to London. But it is not just arms of the government that have been criticised over poor data security, with insurance firm Norwich Union being hit this week with a £1.26 million fine for failing to adequately protect their customers. With such high costs of failing to keep IT data secure, it may be advisable that firms seek to ensure their data centres and procedures are watertight. Azzurri is delivering flexible networks that give organisations agility and value for money.  |