Data loss and security breaches happen every day, but these days the loss of a million or so personal records will probably make the news for a day at best. Back in 2007 when the HMRC lost a couple of CDs containing personal information, the largest reported data loss at the time, it was in the news for weeks and resulted in high level resignations.

So what has changed?

Compliance has tightened, financial penalties increased and enforced, both household names and global businesses have been publically embarrassed. Cybercrime is now worth more on a global scale than the illegal drugs trade, and the activities of politically motivated ‘hactivists’ now compete in terms of the number and sophistication of attacks with their financially motivated counterparts.

However, many people still view information security as someone else’s issue, as long as they are not directly affected, and act in a reactive way rather than proactive. Human nature, I guess.

If we go back a couple of years, interest in end point security grew following a period when lost USB memory sticks and unencrypted laptops were frequently at the centre of reported data breaches. However, security measures were often implemented after the event to demonstrate compliance and win back customer confidence. It would have been more effective, cheaper and less damaging to put something in place before data was compromised, as once it is out who knows where it goes?

Recently, a member of the Information Security Community group on LinkedIn started a discussion, asking people to use one word to describe the biggest challenge facing information security today. Some appeared to struggle counting, but the results were revealing in what they showed, if not entirely suprising.

Just taking a snapshot of comments posted over a month[1], the consistent themes of people, awareness and attitude accounted for half the challenges identified. The discussion continues to attract posts daily, so if you are a LinkedIn user you can see the trend for yourself, but the underlying message is clear.

With the anticipated launch of the new iPad 2 later this month, speculation that 2011 is to be the ‘year of the tablet’ seems as certain as eggs are eggs – or indeed, as Apples are Apples.

According to independent research, last year Apple iPads accounted for 95% of worldwide tablet computer sales through to September, although by the end of 2010 that figure had reportedly fallen to 75% as the competition started to gain market share.

We all know the proliferation of smartphone technology has had a profound effect on how we communicate and work, but the rate of adoption of tablet technology, which is starting to outstrip growth (or indeed decline) in traditional Notepad and PC sales, is set to provide a further shift in our habits.

Indepedant analyst firm Forrester reported that out of traffic driven to its retail site from mobile devices, the iPad accounts for over 45%, the remainder from a mix of smartphone devices from various manufacturers (notably the iPhone which accounts for a further 33% – seems Apple is popular in the Analyst market!).

Nobody really understands the full impact tablet technolgoy will have on us, in terms of increasing productivity and reducing operational costs, but the more consumerisation is embraced in the work environment the more challenges IT departments will face to ensure their use is secure and compliant with appropriate policies and legislation.  

This is where Imerja can help – with a long pedigree in providing IT security and mobile working solutions to both public sector and enterprise customers, underpinned by strong industry recognition and reputation as ‘thought leaders’, Imerja is well placed to create its own trend in tablet service provision. For a no obligation chat or simply to pick our brains on where we see the future impact and challenges of tablet technolgoy and mobile working in general please call us on 0844 225 2888, or email us at [email protected].

As organisations of all sizes and sectors are constantly challenged with a barrage of new compliance requirements, and with budget cuts affecting all sectors, organisations may struggle to achieve such high expectations with the resources available.

Compliance standards have tightened, recommended practices have become mandatory requirements, and the cost for being non-compliant has also increased with higher financial penalties of up to £150,000 being awarded by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), Financial Services Authority (FSA) and other agencies.

In partnership with leading network security provider, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, Imerja has released a practical guide on achieving compliance with limited resources through smarter working and outsourcing.

Services include hosting, telecoms, managed services and leading software blade technology from Check Point.

You can read the compliance guide online or if you wish to receive a hard copy in the post, please contact us.