Employees are a weak point in IT security schemes as many are ignorant of the risks posed by accidentally releasing data, it has been suggested.

According to a survey by backup systems provider Databarracks, there is a lack of knowledge among workers which could potentially leave firms at risk.

Some 63 per cent of respondents to the survey said they had accidentally deleted important documents and 69 per cent stored numerous items solely on their desktop, even though they are not backed up securely.

"This research paints a frightening picture for UK organisations," said Databarracks managing director Peter Groucutt.

"Almost every business, irrelevant of sector, is reliant on the information stored on its IT network to manage day-to-day operations."

Oddly, workers seem to recognise the importance of company data, as 84 per cent said they could not manage to work for longer than half a day without having access to the firm's information archives.