Loss of confidential data – including intellectual property, business documents, customer data, and employee records – is a pervasive problem among World companies, according to a survey released by Ponemon Institute and Vontu, a San Francisco-based provider of data loss prevention products.

Eighty-one percent of companies surveyed reported the loss of one or more laptops containing sensitive information during the past 12 months, according to the survey, which queried nearly 500 information security professionals.

Corporate Data Security 2010

• Convergence Has Only Begun: Movement towards convergence of physical and logical security will continue and become the norm rather than the beta test scenario it was in 2009. While new technologies have emerged to better security efforts, “feet on the ground” in the form of security officers is still imperative. The year ahead will see greater focus on ironing out the convergence of physical and logical security, ensuring a “blend” that delivers both the greatest cost-efficiency and highest levels of security.

• “Big Brother” Oversight: Government regulations will create additional costs and impact a wider spectrum of industry sectors as it pertains to security and personal information. With continued incidents of consumer personal data being stolen, health records being released, financial scandals and more, security executives need to be out-front on compliance. They should also prepare for aggressive auditing in areas such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, Payment Card Industry Security Standards and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Business executives and owners who may wonder if they need to protect their corporate data will appreciate certain statistics that we have prepared.

43% of organizations say their information security function is now part of their organizations’ risk management function.
–Ernst & Young

The average loss per phishing victim jumped from $257 in 2005 to $1,244 in 2006.
–Gartner Inc.

1 in 3 workers jot down their computer password, undermining their security.
–Nucleus Research and KnowledgeStorm

Read more below!