11 November 2016

Iron Mountain director Phil Greenwood reckons Brexit has added further complexities to data retention rules.

Resource constraints at local authorities could be putting sensitive information at risk, according to new research from Iron Mountain.

The company surveyed 205 respondents at local councils earlier this year. The poll included records and information professionals and senior managers of which 67 per cent believe inadequate information management will cause a significant data breach sooner rather than later. 

For 71 per cent of senior managers, budget cuts present the main threat to the quality of information management and security. Other challenges include excessive demands from central government, a lack of staff, and internal bureaucracy. 

Time constraints were also blamed. Fifty seven per cent of records and information managers say they have only seconds to handle documents such as invoices, legal and HR files, while 61 per cent admit there aren’t enough staff to cope with the volume of information moving in and out of their organisation.

Iron Mountain director Phil Greenwood says: “The added complexity of understanding and following existing retention regulations, coupled with uncertainty around EU data protection regulations as a result of the Brexit vote mean the scale of the problem is going to get worse if the challenges are not addressed.”

According to Greenwood, it’s not enough to have clear information security and management policies and processes in place. He says communication is key to ensuring widespread adoption of information management best practice across all departments. “Policy and processes need to reflect changes in regulations and internal processes, with these updates communicated clearly to all staff.”