The Importance of Data Security

Many organisations collect, use and store personal data every day. This data needs to be kept and used for the reason it was agreed upon, kept private from those who do not require access and it must be stored and secured in a protected location. It is important to keep data secure and away from the prying eyes of cyber criminals who aim to steal, use or sell personal information on the dark web for financial gain or malicious reasons.

Those people who fall victim to an attack are left in a vulnerable position, where they are now at risk of identify fraud and the company who are accountable for exposing their data could be taken to court and prosecuted, depending on the circumstances.

Repercussions of not securely storing data

• Large GDPR fines
• Criminal convictions
• Tarnished reputation
• Loss of sales/profit

From April 2019 – March 2020 the ICO resolved 39,860 complaints which was up from 34,684. They believe that in most instances the complaints to them were about data controllers “breaking the law” and not asking for additional advice/reviews on what responses they had already received.

This basically means that the individual did not have confidence that their data was handled properly and, in around half of the complaints, the ICO found the companies to be at fault, so taking data protection seriously is really important.

If you are unsure what the role of a data controller is, watch our short 60 Sec Tech video below:

According to the ICO the sectors that are generating the most amount of complaints fall into General Business, Local Government and Health. With the reasons for generating most complaints being the subject access, disclosure of data and right to prevent processing.

No matter what size your organisation is, everyone is at risk of a cyber attack which is why every organisation needs to take data security seriously.

In the event of a data breach

In the event of a data breach it is important that you have followed the GDPR to prove you have done everything in your power to protect the data you create, hold and use, be transaparent about how you are using, storing and protecting the data you hold.

Working with an IT Support Provider can help you identify what you need to do in order to keep your data safe. Talk to us today if you have any questions about the security of your data.