New Government survey highlights data sharing insights

The UK government has released its UK Business Data Survey 2022. The survey, now in its second year, is intended to help the government improve it’s understanding of what business data is used for, its value and the importance of being able to move data around, both domestically and internationally.

The survey focussed on digitised data e.g. things such as financial records and names and addresses of employees and customers. Whilst this is very different to general file sharing, here at Torsion we found the results relating to the sharing of data particularly relevant. Here are the key findings:

Approximately 17% of businesses that use digitised data said they share data externally. This ranged from 16% of sole traders to 48% of large businesses.

The most common recipients of data sharing by businesses were as follows:

• 66% with other businesses
• 39% with employees, customers or other individuals
• 34% with public bodies
• 15% with charities or non-profit organisations
• 12% with branches of their own business or corporate group

When it came to the more qualitative side of the survey, recipients were asked what their main benefits and challenges of data sharing were:

Main benefits

• financial benefits
• improved services to clients
• business growth or innovation
• wider social benefits
• better performance monitoring

Main challenges

• concerns about the risks of data sharing, including risks around data protection compliance, risk of data breaches, data security risks, the data handling practices of data recipients or business reputational risks
• skills or knowledge of data protection rules relating to data sharing
• resource intensive, including in staffing, in setting up data sharing agreements, in managing large data sets or in upgrading technology
• issues with standardisation including challenges with using different data systems, and with online access permissions varying between companies

Whilst the survey focusses more on the sharing of specific data, rather than general file sharing, the business reasons for sharing information and the concerns that businesses have are the same – it always comes back to the pay off between increasing productivity/creativity against security.

Our customers are able to confidently share information internally and externally knowing that any ‘out of permission’ file access will automatically be flagged/stopped and any file access will be revoked when it is no longer needed. You can find out more or get a free demo by emailing info@torsionis.com.