Data leakage interest group launched

Industry body FAST IiS has created a special interest group aimed at stemming the tide of data breaches that have grabbed UK headlines for the last year.

The data leakage protection group aims to deliver knowledge of data management products and services to its members and the wider IT and business user audience.

Addressing issues such as data protection, content security, policy management, content management, records management, industry standards and increasing compliance, the special interest group will provide advice and host workshop events across the UK.

John Lovelock, chief executive of FAST IiS, said: “According to a recent report by KPMG 1,034 data breaches were reported between 2005 and June 2008, with 280 million people losing personal details.

“We have therefore launched this special interest group – to stand alongside expert groups we already have established in areas such as IT Asset Management and Legal – to provide not only an industry forum for vendors in this market but also to educate the market as a whole in this potentially damaging liability - especially given the fact that according to KPMG over 50 per cent of data breaches come from internal sources.”

The announcement comes as the Get Safe Online group, backed by police, government and banks, claims ID theft is a serious problem due to the international trade in stolen identities and data.

Stewart Room, data security specialist at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP, said: “The country has woken-up to the damage that security breaches can cause, whether this be financial crime, identify theft or damage to the reputation of the organisation concerned.

“Yet, there is still significant confusion about what organisations should do and can to limit the risk of security breaches occurring. Organisations like FAST IiS can make major contributions to expanding know-how, understanding and learning in this area, which is to everyone's advantage.”

Matt Fisher, corporate marketing director at software vendor FrontRange Solutions, said: “The general awareness in the UK over the risks of data loss and identity theft is reasonably high, but there is still a widespread lack of understand among organisations as to how to protect the data on their networks.”