Data loss is rampant among businesses worldwide, with the most common cause of losses being lost or stolen equipment, according to a survey.
The most common type of data stolen is customer information, according to the study by Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Check Point.
According to “Understanding Security Complexity in 21st Century IT Environments,” 77% of the 2,426 IT professionals questioned in five countries admitted their organisations suffered a data loss in the past year.
Of those, 52% say they lost customer data and 44% say they lost consumer information, which the study says is information about targeted customers. Other intellectual property and employee information were cited as stolen by 33% and 31% respectively, the study says.
Of the IT professionals surveyed in the U.S., U.K., France, Japan and Germany, 23% say they suffered no data losses in the past year.