Data security is a serious matter

Re Talk Talk fined a record £400,000 over cyber-attack on customer data (published on Peterboroughtoday.co.uk October 5).

I expect these fines to become commonplace going forward and not just for big businesses, S ME sin Peterborough can expect tough treatment on data breach es too.

The impending EU Gener- al Data Protection Regulation (and the UK will likely follow a similar principal post-Brexit) will put responsibility directly in the hands of businesses.

It means fines can far exceed the £500,000 ICO cap, running into millions if the appropriate data safeguards are not in place, and does not differentiate between small and large businesses.

This means everyone needs to take data security seriously. This is about more than just installing anti-virus software on office PCs. Regular staff training, formal security policies and a multilayered approach to security technology will all be expected from businesses in the future. George Smith Managing director Kamarin Computers