Employees To Lose More Data in December Than Any Other Month

Mozy is warning businesses to protect their data now before laptops, smartphones and other devices disappear in the busiest time for property loss of the year.

More items are lost in December than any other month, according to new research from Mozy, which also found that 70% of people had lost a laptop, smartphone or other data storage device in the past 12 months. Items are most at risk as people leave the office, with loss peaking at 18:00.

"December is a busy month for people professionally and socially as many businesses are closing the quarter or year and employees want to enjoy seasonal celebrations with friends and family," said Claire Galbois-Alcaix, of Mozy. "But dashing from the office to meet friends with your laptop in hand, or capturing pictures of your night out on your smartphone put not only the device itself at risk, but the data on it too. In most cases, the devices are replaceable but, often, the data on them is not – so we’re urging all businesses to make sure that their data is backed up before we reach the riskiest time of year."

The research, carried out in the UK, France, Germany, Ireland and the USA by OnePoll quizzed 3,500 people about their experiences of property loss.

Areas where large numbers of people travel for work on public transport, such as capital and large cities, saw regional spikes in loss. They were also inclined to show peaks for loss between 08:00 and 09:00, highlighting the impact of the morning as well as evening commute. Globally, 19% of all losses happened on public transport.

Companies with staff working in Ile-de-France, Rhône Alpes and Pas-de-Calais should be particularly vigilant since the survey found that these three cities were the site of more losses than any other places in France.

"Mobility tools come into their own at Christmas," said Galbois-Alcaix. "Since we all want the flexibility to attend events such as school plays, Christmas parties and family gatherings. Being able to work whenever and wherever you need is a real benefit. But it’s also critical to be able to capture that work and protect it. Online backup and data access tools answer both needs and will help businesses to ensure profitability at this time of year."