Small Firms Need Support and Education to Protect Against Summer Data Breaches

LONDON, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

• Shred-it calls for Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to target SME sector for education and enforcement
• SMEs not concerned enough about losing confidential data
• 1/3 of SMEs have no plans to manage document waste
• More than 3/4 firms not disposing of electronic storage devices properly

UK small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) need additional education and an increased regulatory threat to help them properly protect the confidential information they hold, according to Shred-it, a leading document destruction firm.  

Nearly two-thirds (59.8%) of the small and medium sized enterprises responding to the 2012 Shred-it Security Tracker survey do not believe that the loss or theft of data would be a problem to their business, 10% more than in last year's survey.  

As an increasing number of employees work from home to avoid the predicted travel chaos that will accompany a major sporting event taking place in London this summer, combined with this lack of concern for the safety of confidential information could lead to a significant increase in data breaches.

"UK SMEs are still not seeing information security as a serious business issue and they need to, especially with the major sporting event taking place in London this summer.  The Government, regulator and trade bodies need to lead from the front in raising the profile of the issue and providing support to those who need it", says Robert Guice, Executive Vice President, EMEA, Shred-it.  

"The ICO then needs to finally use the powers they have to punish transgressors in order to send a message to the rest of the sector of how important it is to keep consumers information safe." Mr Guice continued.  

Over one-third (35.4%) of the UK-based SMEs responded stating they do not have any protocols in place for the secure storage and destruction of the confidential customer information they hold.  Meanwhile, over three quarters (76.6%) provide no training on information security and a similar number (77.4%) do not destroy electronic storage devices properly.  

Further information:

• http://shredit.co.uk/Shred-it-Security-Tracker-1 Here you will find a new factsheet for businesses which will guide them through developing simple procedures that will help keep information safe in the office, at home and when travelling in between.
• An infographic of the 2012 Security Tracker results is available on request.  
  

Notes to Editors:

About the survey:

Ipsos MORI is one of the largest and best known research companies in the UK and a key part of the Ipsos Group, a leading global research company. With a direct presence in 60 countries our clients benefit from specialist knowledge drawn from our five global practices: public affairs research, advertising testing and tracking, media evaluation, marketing research and consultancy, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Ipsos Mori conducted a quantitative online survey of two distinct sample groups: 1004 Small business owners in UK (all of which have fewer than 100 employees), and 100 C-suite executives working for businesses in the UK with a minimum of 250 employees.

Data are unweighted as the sample universe is unknown and statistical margins of error are not applicable for non-probability samples. However, an unweighted probability sample of this size in each country would yield results that are considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The fieldwork was conducted between April 13th and 20th, 2012.

About Shred-it (http://www.shredit.co.uk)

In the UK alone, Shred-it has 16 branches, employs over 400 people and operates 125 shredding trucks, providing the most secure and trustworthy information destruction services possible for its customers. Shred-it UK has customers which span the sectors, from government agencies to financial and legal institutions, taking each customer's unique needs into account and bringing secure on-site document destruction services direct to their door, thus ensuring total confidentiality in security and shredding.

Shred-it is a world-leading document destruction company that ensure the security and integrity of our customers' private information. The company operates more than 140 branches in 16 countries worldwide, servicing over 150,000 global, national and local businesses, including the world's top intelligence and security agencies and more than 500 police forces, 1,500 hospitals, 8,500 bank branches and 1,200 universities and colleges.

Shred-it has branches in the following locations: Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, West Yorkshire, Chippenham, Essex - Waltham Abbey, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Exeter, London - Stratford, London - Brentford, Nottingham and now Cardiff.