Data stored on employees' own devices 'must be secure'

Company data that is stored on a device owned by a member of staff has to be adequately looked after, an expert has insisted.

According to Clive Taylor, founding director of Sesai Consulting Limited, firms that allow employees to carry out work on their own tools, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, need to assume the equipment is "hostile".

This, he said, means applications must be secure and all data should be encrypted.

Businesses were also encouraged to ensure USB memory sticks that contain sensitive documents are protected by a password.

Mr Taylor added that a firm should ensure the contents of memory sticks, documents and emails are scanned by an anti-virus system on its own equipment, so any malware that may be on an employee's personal device does not get passed on.

This could potentially help a business avoid being targeted by hackers and experiencing a serious data breach.

Posted by Richard Jones