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Time to put data security first

Data security should be the very top priority when senior executives handle – and travel with - highly sensitive information, says Paul Norbury, CEO and Managing Director of specialist technology company, Cardwave Services Ltd.

His comments come after a national paper reported on 17 February that a senior health and safety executive had lost an unencrypted USB device containing a secret report on a nuclear power station.
‘This is the latest in a string of high profile data losses and their seriousness cannot be overstated,’ said, Norbury. ‘We have seen several cases of NHS records going missing in recent years with grave implications on patient privacy. There are also many examples of military personnel losing flash drives with sensitive data on. This latest revelation will only increase fears over our national security. It is imperative that organisations in possession of sensitive data take every step available to prevent it falling into the wrong hands.

‘In many organisations, it is possible to insert a USB flash drive or memory card into a computer and download sensitive and confidential data from the server without any form of security clearance whatsoever. Furthermore, as flash drives and memory cards are available with massive capacities, people lose track of what’s been stored. It’s so easy to keep adding data without maintaining any record of what’s been downloaded over extended periods of time.

‘This means that organisations can lose control of the location and security of their data very quickly - and have no idea of how many copies of their documents are in circulation. For this reason, it is vital that owners and holders of sensitive data have a watertight security policy, enforced by a strong technological infrastructure. In short, USB and other memory cards really should be encrypted and their use authorised and logged by employers – or banned altogether.’

A highly respected figure in the field of data security and flash card market, Norbury, a Board Director of the SD Association, the trade association that sets the standards for the SD card - the dominant form factor in the memory card industry - established Cardwave Services in 2004. The business provides a range of project management and consultancy services across all aspects of data duplication, encryption and license provision. Clients include blue-chip multinationals in the telecommunications, navigation, automotive and consumer electronics markets.

For further information, visit www.cardwaveservices.com.

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