DATA loss is a significant factor in modern business, dependent as it is now on electronic systems. And it occurs in many ways, some inadvertent, some through stupidity and some criminal. One organisation accidentally puts its sensitive market research report online before it has been approved; another can’t find data that has been requested by a government department. Others lose laptops, unwittingly send confidential information in emails, or give contractors too much access to internal data. This is lost data and its impact on a business can range from financial loss, to damage to its reputation, potential loss of customers, or even imprisonment if there is a breach of corporate governance. So, how good are your data management policies and procedures? More than two-thirds of Australian organisations experience six losses of sensitive data every year, according to new research by the US-based IT Policy Compliance Group. One in five organisations loses sensitive data 22 or more times a year.