Lord places data responsibility on IT industry
By Chris Taylor
19/04/2011
A Government Lord has advised the IT security industry that it is not the responsibility of the State to legislate around the safe keeping of data.
Lord Erroll, Secretary to the All Party Internet Group, told delegates at the Infosecurity Europe conference that as the rise of consumer IT is inevitable; it remains an employer's responsibility to protect any sensitive data they may hold.
He says that security representatives need to decide what data is deemed high risk and that companies should strive to put multi-layered defences around it, according to Computer Weekly.
In particular, this applies to mobile, tablet and cloud technology, where business and consumer-sensitive information is available on the go.
Lord Erroll said: "Anyone who does not like rapid change should not be working in information security because the environment is constantly changing and it is extremely challenging to stay on the leading edge."
He advises that security methods built into to devices, through IT management software for example, should be secure but not 'locked down' to the point where staff cannot access data on that device.
"There is always going to be a state of dynamic tension between innovation and control," said Lord Erroll, according to IT Pro.
"We live in an interesting world, and change through innovation creates opportunities, but we need greater collaboration by all stakeholders to be able to make use of that innovation in a secure way," he added.
