From: ITProPortal

by Aatif Sulleyman

Talks concerning the improvement of data security have taken place in Parliament.

In an event held yesterday, industry executives, civil servants and  politicians came together to discuss the issue of privacy protection,  particularly with regards to public and private sector organisations.

How to elevate the economy while using data management was another topic of  debate.

“Data security is one of the biggest issues facing businesses and government in the modern world. We need to  highlight how data can be used to boost the economy, while still protecting  people’s privacy,” said Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, who hosted the event.

“The public and private sectors both have an important role to play here, and  I am delighted to help bring them together to discuss common standards,” he  continued.

Bob Pickles, director of public sector business development and public affairs at Canon, which co-sponsored the event, added: “Canon research shows that just 12 per cent of consumers believe organisations are doing enough to protect their personal data.”

The study referred to was conducted in April 2012, and involved over 4,000  British, French and German participants.

Canon said that it recently worked alongside a European airport which  employed user identification tools within a centralised print and document management system, in order to ensure control and  accountability over customers’ information.

This approach, according to Canon, delivered both secure data management  and significant print cost savings – around €1 million (£805,570) a year,  apparently.

“There is clearly an opportunity for private and public sector organisations  to raise consumer confidence by openly communicating security credentials to  help everyone become more aware of the importance of data security,” continued  Pickles.

Already a hot topic, data security is likely to become an even more important  subject in the years to come, as the UK government considers the best way to manage access to public services portals – Facebook has been mentioned as one potential future  collaborator.