IT departments hoping to protect sensitive assets may want to turn to data encryption, according to a recent report by a computer vendor.

Putting money into a series of full-disk encryptions is the most effective way of protecting files as it protected the hard drive even if it was taken out of the office, Robert Lemos of PC World wrote.

"Typically you'll set up a folder or virtual drive to encrypt any files saved inside it automatically; as long as you haven't left the relevant folder or files open, the person won't be able to access the protected data," he added.

However, tech experts need to be careful with this form of asset protection as the loss of a password could result in the data being lost forever as encryption made it irretrievable to those without the appropriate access rights.

Self-encrypting hard drives may become a future solution to this situation after Hitachi recently announced the upcoming release of its third generation 2.5-inch Travelstar which employs the technology, called the 5K500.B.

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).