BT subsidiary PlusNet is the latest company to admit it could have breached the Data Protection Act, facing a potential £500,000 fine, after it supplied data to a third party.

The BBC stated today that Amichai Shulman, chief technology officer of security firm Imperva, told them that the documents emerged not as the result of a security lapse, but following the corruption of their IT systems. “In the reconstruction process – which was probably done in haste – the archives with the sensitive data were copied to publicly accessible locations…. attackers immediately took advantage of that and downloaded them.”

A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) told BBC News that there would be an ongoing investigation.

As more companies adopt the internet as a way of managing and transferring data, some are likely to find themselves at the wrong end of a major data breach – and substantial penalties.

Some companies don’t realise that data protection also relates to prospect data and those that use web-based prospect systems are potentially putting themselves at risk if the data provider uses an outsourced software company. Matthew Stone, Software Development Manager at Insight Data, elaborates; “most reputable suppliers of prospect data will have their own software and IT team to manage data, ensuring data is backed up and stored safely. However, some data suppliers use a third party software company which, while saving significant costs, is putting their customers at serious risk because the third party has full access to the customers data potentially breaching every data protection rule going.”

With news that Business Link has advised companies to credit check their CRM database suppliers (http://bit.ly/9KT2nX) the potential risk of dealing with a data supplier that uses a third party software company are greatly multiplied – if either one of them goes bust customers could end up loosing all their customer and prospect data as well as facing prosecution for breaches of data protection.

Insight Data is the only supplier of prospect data in the fenestration and building industry to manage data in-house with its own software and IT team, protecting clients and ensuring data is not made available to third parties.

For more information visit www.insightdata.co.uk, email info@insightdata.co.uk or call 01934 808293.

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Zurich Insurance has recently been fined £2.3m by the Financial Service Authority (FSA) for losing personal details of 46,000 customers.

According to the BBC report, the information went missing during a routine data backup to their data centre, and the company was ‘oblivious’ to the loss until a year later.

The FSA stated that Zurich UK had failed to oversee the outsourcing arrangement effectively and did not have full control over the data being processed by their data centre.

Your data is one of your most valuable assets. Having it fall into the wrong hands could have devastating consequences, particularly if it contains confidential customer information.

Many companies now use some form of web-based CRM system to manage prospect and customer information. But who else can access this information, or what happens if the provider goes out of business?

As more prospect data suppliers move to online systems, some of them are putting their customers at serious risk by having their prospect software written and managed by third party companies, who can easily access confidential client data. What’s more, what happens if either the data provider or the third party software company goes out of business, or the two companies have a trading disagreement? Suddenly your business could be left “high and dry”.

Customers who subscribe to the Insight database access data via Salestracker, Insight’s own web-based CRM software. The software is written and managed by Insight’s in-house software team under strict security guidelines, and customer data is stored separately within a high-security data centre in London, with a mirrored back-up system for disaster recovery purposes. The database is protected by a host of security and firewall systems.

Protecting your data is a serious matter. You don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands, and you don’t want to be left exposed if your data supplier or their software provider have a disagreement or cease trading.

Choosing a financial strong and stable company such as Insight Data, who have developed their own software in-house and who take your data security very seriously, will ensure your data is both secure and accessible at all times. Other data providers may provide a cheap solution, but is it worth the risk?

For more information on Insight Data visit www.insightdata.co.uk, call us on 01934 808293 or follow us on www.twitter.com/insightdata

In recent years, the window and conservatory industry has seen a barrage of new regulations, tighter controls and new standards to maintain. It’s not just the window industry of course; most companies are being bombarded with new health and safety standards, the latest employment regulations or tighter controls from regulatory bodies.

While many argue that political correctness has gone mad, some of these standards can be beneficial to businesses and many forward-thinking companies are implementing “best practice” to embrace them and improve their business in an increasingly competitive market place.

Until now, Marketing Best Practice has been widely overlooked in the window industry; however that is now set to change. The Direct Marketing Association (www.dma.org.uk)  is one of the worlds leading authorities on direct marketing, and the organisation has a Code of Best Practice covering every aspect of direct marketing. The DMA work closely with government and industry to self-regulate direct marketing and improve standards as well as controlling government backed compliance standards such as the telephone and fax preference service. Breaching these standards can result in fines of up to £5,000.

Since all direct marketing activities – whether its direct mail, telesales, email marketing, or field sales/cold calling involves the use of data, companies should be aware of the latest guidelines, codes of practice and legal requirements. Becoming a member of the Direct Marketing Association will help companies ensure they comply, as well as improving their marketing results by implementing “best practice” in direct marketing. However, the application and approval process can be both lengthy and expensive, and ongoing compliance requirements can be time consuming.

The next best thing is to use the data and direct marketing services of an existing Direct Marketing Association member.  Insight Data has recently been awarded membership of the DMA, an accolade that commercial director Helen Costeloe-Hughes is delighted with; “We are the first and only data provider in the industry to be awarded DMA Membership. It involved a rigorous application process over several months, however it clearly demonstrates our commitment to the highest quality data, regulatory compliance and Best Practice which we believe is vitally important to our customers and the industry as a whole”.

The process included quality assessment, in-depth financial vetting, extensive customer interviews and feedback, and Office of Fair Trading approved compliance requirements.

Insight now joins companies such as Microsoft, HSBC Bank, British Gas, Yellow Pages, and BT as members of the DMA.

Insight can advise customers on all aspects of direct marketing and how to use the Insight database to maximise results. This includes advising on direct mail best practice and the latest on email marketing and telemarketing regulations. “Companies must be aware of how to use data, for example complying with the Telephone and Fax Preference Service as well as the Data Protection Act” explains Insight’s Data Manager David Lewis. “Although the Data Protection Act relates primarily to individuals rather than companies as far as direct marketing is concerned, any business that is a sole trader or partnership could fall within this criteria. For this reason Insight is registered with the Information Commissioner for Data Protection”.

Insight Data is now working closely with the Direct Marketing Association to improve quality standards and Best Practice, and provide the window and conservatory industry with the information they need to comply with the latest regulations, including a new range of publications and tools to assist customers.

For more information contact Insight Data on 01934 808293 or visit www.insightdata.co.uk, or visit the Direct Marketing Association at www.dma.org.uk