The unsecured details of 10,000 prolific offenders and data on all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales are at issue in yet another example of failure to grasp that records management is fundamental. IT security is a must, but the scandals including the Andersen/Enron debacle, the recent Broadcom vs. Qualcomm and Hong Kong's own Hospital Authority breaches are more about governance, managerial competency building and the organisational culture's valuing of accurate, evidence-based practice.
"Solutions" must go beyond the typical scope limits of IT projects to address organizational culture and management of recorded information in multiple storage media.
"Solutions" must go beyond the typical scope limits of IT projects to address organizational culture and management of recorded information in multiple storage media.
In short, it's about a well defined strategy, implemented and measured to guide ongoing action. IRM Strategies recommends an Information Protection Risk Assessment to reveal risk an opportunity. The analysis must also consider how you govern your contracted service providers. The BBC reports that over 80,000 criminals may have grounds to seek compensation after thousands of details, stored unencrypted on a computer memory stick, were lost by PA Consulting. The Home Office said a full investigation was being conducted. "David Smith, Deputy Commissioner in the Information Commissioner's Office, said the latest loss showed that personal information could be a 'toxic liability' if not handled properly."
They say that any publicity is good publicity, but it is hard to see how terms like "absolutely horrified" and "incompetence" will garner increased trust.
IRM Strategies has conducted a high level Information Protection "Snapshot" Assessment in support of a major Hong Kong corporation. Outcomes have been incorporated into a 4-year strategy to improve corporate practices and reduce risk. Our KLERIS and PIME methodologies take it deeper to build compliance and risk management into corporate culture--all at a far less cost than litigation and public exposure. Are you ready?
