Summary: The 4000 security breaches suffered by the MOD in the last four years could be linked to the booming UK security industry, which is set to grow by 50% by 2017.
Defence chiefs at the MOD have confirmed in a parliamentary question that the department has been hit by 389 security information incidents in the last four years. The rate of incidents is also increasing, with 1194 separate incidents logged in 2013, up from 885 in 2010.
The errors have been identified as being the result of poor security processes adhered to by senior military staff, several of which may have allowed sensitive defence information to fall into enemy hands.
A statement from the MOD said: “The figures relate to incidents in which information has not been fully protected. The MOD treats all breaches of security very seriously.”
Growth in security industry
As the rate of breaches increases, there has also been a correlating growth in the UK security industry.
A report from ADS has revealed that the security sector has grown five times faster than the rest of the UK economy, with turnover reaching £7.9bn in 2013, a growth of 20% in one year.
ADS predicts that the sector will rise significantly over the next three years, with growth of 9.8% in 2015, 10.2% in 2016 and a further 10.8% in 2017.
Gaining a share of the market
The global security sector is extremely varied, from cyber terrorism, event security, online shopping, threat detection, equipment manufacture, processes and protocols, there are opportunities for organisation in industries across the UK.
Defence Contracts International is proud to host Europe’s largest database of contract opportunities in the defence and civil sectors, backed by over 30 years of procurement experience.
In 2013 alone DCI published 851,117 opportunities by monitoring over 2000 worldwide sources including the UN and NATO.
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