Businessmen could be putting their firm's IT security at risk by talking about sensitive matters in public, one expert has claimed.

Samantha Botting, a senior consultant at Vodaphone UK, explained if people accidentally disclosed important details, then their IT security measure might be bypassed.

Ms Botting added that while people are often told not to divulge sensitive information, this could often be done by accident, for example while talking on a mobile phone in public.

She said: "A person sitting next to you could be that supplier, partner or customer, or a competitor and they'll find out things they're not supposed to.

"[Employees] should not think that voice and speaking is the only way to exchange important information – if you really have to do it there and then, then use another means."

She suggested that people be encouraged to use things such as email or their firm's intranet if they needed to communicate sensitive information while on the go.

According to recent research conducted by the firm, three-quarters of staff admit to openly discussing confidential information on a phone in public.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent) In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were 'guaranteed response times' and 'allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues'.