A poll of 1,200 office workers has found that half of employees never consider the risks presented to companies by downloading data to their office computers or smartphones.

In the survey carried out by IT staffing provider Modis, 40 per cent of those surveyed said they were not aware of their employers IT security policies.

A spokesman for Modis puts some of the blame down to the increase in popularity of flexible working and cloud computing which has “created a multitude of points at which criminals can access a company’s data”.

The vulnerability employees present to a company can be reduced by the implementation of simple, accessible policies alongside a regular and comprehensive training and education regime. What might seem like common sense will often be ignored when added to the pressures of working either in or out of the office.

Information downloaded from social media sites can also be damaging to business. Even if it is not a security risk, spamming can cause immeasurable reputational damage. Sensible precautions and proactive internal communication including early warning systems will help reduce the risk of such threats and protect valuable commercial information and relationships.