Business travellers lose 8,500 devices in airports

UK business travellers need to pay more attention when traversing airports, as they leave behind 8,500 mobile devices every year - potentially compromising the data they hold and the security of the company, according to a new survey.

The survey, by information security firm SafeNet, found that business travellers lost their laptops, mobile phones, BlackBerrys and USB sticks, all of which could lead to a security breach, depending on the information held.

"Companies are investing large sums of money in protecting network data, only for employees to run the risk of losing it due to carelessly misplacing laptops and mobile devices," said Gary Clark, vice president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for SafeNet.

"As mobile working continues to grow across the UK and the globe, security for laptops and mobile devices is more critical than ever before," he added.

Major airports near London found 400 laptops and 2,500 mobile devices abandoned by their owners, while business professionals misplaced 100 laptops and 800 mobile devices at airports in the North West of England.

"With this trend likely to increase in the future, encrypting information on a whole range of mobile devices is becoming just as important as encrypting the network itself to ensure that it cannot be accessed by unauthorised eyes, and potentially misused," said Clark.

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