UK companies need to get take steps to protect the security of data held on portable storage devices, it is claimed, which could lead to jobs for IT contractors.

IT security firm IronKey points out that all the investments firms make in network security and data monitoring mean nothing once that data leaves the office.

Firms must therefore be more careful about what portable devices can be used on the network, while those that are in use must be suitably encrypted, according to IronKey's director of product marketing Kevin Bocek.

These comments come after the Information Commissioner's Office announced earlier this week that the number data protection breaches reported to the regulator had now surpassed 1,000.

In addition, 50 per cent of those were caused by the loss or theft of hardware.

"Taking simple steps to use always-on encryption for removable storage, like USB flash drive, that can be managed and audited would have made many, many data breaches non-issues," Mr Bocek concluded.