Slapdash techies behind 'avoidable' IT glitches

Human error to blame for a chunk of IT incidents over the past year

Mistakes made by techies were behind a flurry of major IT incidents last year, according to KPMG, which advised employers to invest more heavily in technical training.

According to its Technology Risk Radar, more than half of the IT incidents over the past 12 months were avoidable, and of that figure, more than seven per cent of them were down to human error.

On top of this, 16 per cent of data-loss incidents which happened in the past year were unintentional, which KPMG said was a "significant number" which caused "major problems" across a range of industries.

"Basic investments in training are being ignored at the employer's cost," KPMG said.

Organisations spent an average of £410,000 per IT incident over the past 12 months, KPMG said, and on average, 776,000 staff were affected by each one.

KPMG's Technology Risk practice partner Jon Dowie said the findings prove IT is now at the core of enterprises.

"Technology is no longer a function within a business which operates largely in isolation," he said. "It is at the heart of everything a company does and when it goes wrong, it affects an organisation's bottom line, its relationship with customers and its wider reputation.

"Investment in technology will continue to rise as businesses embrace digital and other opportunities, but this needs to be matched by investments in assessing, managing and monitoring the associated risks."