# information security

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/03/25/information-security/
- Published: 2010-03-25T16:22:42+00:00
- Author: Finbar Cullen

The latest (free) edition of Information Age www.information-age.com includes an
advert for a forthcoming conference on information security www.infosec.com. There
are a few major companies providing case study presentations, and lots of suppliers
that I have never heard of. I suspect that some of these suppliers will become better
known. While there are no charities listed under the case studies, there is one 
NHS Hospital, and a Borough Council.

An article in the magazine refers to a recent report from the Information Commissioner’s
Office on the privacy of data. www.ico.gov.uk. The report explains how to put a 
value on personal information. If you can show the value of the information, that
can help to develop a business case for investing in protecting that personal information.
The report suggests that the average cost to the victim of any data loss is approximately
£450 to £1,050. For organisations, there is also the possible cost of “brand damage”
and subsequent loss of income.

You can download the PDF file of the report. Check out the business case for protecting
personal information. There are calculation sheets for working out the value of 
personal information (to the individual, the organisation, other parties, and society
as a whole), and “privacy failure costs”. The report includes a section on “personal
information value as an asset to a charity”. In the example shown, the cost of re-
acquiring lost data is estimated to be around £450,000.

## Advertisement

How much is your data worth?

While the Charity Commission and the Office of the Scottish Charity Registrar are
listed in the “non-exhaustive list of common UK regulators, trade organisations 
and associations that compel or recommend compliance with the Data Protection Act
1998”, there is no mention of the Institute of Fundraising.

Finbar Cullen

Research**Plus**

 * **[CIMA event looks at 'Scotland's charities: current and forthcoming legislation'](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/03/10/cima-event-looks-039scotland039s-charities-current-and-forthcoming-legislation039/)**(
   10 March 2011)
 * **[Scottish Charity Register](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/05/18/scottish-charity-register/)**(
   18 May 2011)
 * **[Scottish Charity Register website](https://fundraising.co.uk/2012/06/07/scottish-charity-register-website/)**(
   7 June 2012)