U.K. facing unprecedented losses of citizens’ records

When it comes to national governments, we typically expect proper information management and security. The number of personal records lost in 2007 hit a record of almost 37 million, The Telegraph reported.

The biggest factors were problems with the post office, lost laptops and data breaches. The report caused parliament to call for an investigation into the problems. With proper document management and security protection, this problem can be greatly reduced.

Digitizing records can lower the amount of physical losses, simply because data transfer is so efficient. While emails may not go through, the information is not irrevocably lost, as it can be when an employee misplaces information.

But the data losses can't only be chalked up to paper-related problems – harddrives have gone missing, hackers have accessed information and CDs have been lost. The failure here is a lack of a backup system and a reliance on outdated technology. Digitizing information, switching to a server or cloud based system and increasing security precautions can minimize the losses governments are facing in record proportions.

However, some simple data loss is avoidable, and calls on the government to update their systems are not without merit.

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