David Hughes a partner in Deloitte’s data security team said: "The matters raised in the Poynter, Burton and Cabinet Office reports reflect information security challenges that all organisations are facing, be they public or private sector.  Addressing security concerns in any organisation is as much about people and processes - fixing the ‘human factors’ - as it is about the underlying technology.

A joined up approach that tackles governance, people, processes and technology is needed.  In particular, getting the right culture and awareness in place so that keeping information secure becomes a part of normal working life is key.  This link to "business as usual" is absolutely essential - information security is not about a one-off project to fix holes, it has to be seen as an ongoing part of daily business life.

“Looking at the government sector, the Cabinet Office report on Data Handling introduces a number of additional measures aimed at increasing confidence in the security of personal information. As well as mandating the use of secure technologies to protect information, it reinforces the need to ensure that the cultural, procedural and governance aspects of information security are adequately addressed within government.

“Strong leadership and ownership at a senior level across an organisation is needed for these programmes to be successful.”

Ends

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