The possibility of a data leak is very real for businesses which do not dispose of formerly confidential information in the correct way, according to one sector specialist.

Credit card numbers, social security numbers, health records and internal auditing procedures are all at risk by IT support individuals who do not erase the items before scrapping them, according to removable storage experts Imation Corp.

Vice-president of global commercial business at Imation Dr Subodh Kulkarni noted that too many businesses were ignoring advice offered to them by sector specialists despite repeated high-profile problems which have claimed a number of large companies.

"All used data storage products, whether optical discs, flash, hard drives, or tape media, must be properly retired and disposed of in order to protect against possible data leaks," he continued.

In a world which contains 500GB hard drives as an industry standard, he adds, clearing all but a minute amount from such storage mediums could still mean that a lot of data is available to potential thieves.

Unprotected email systems should also be addressed by companies hoping to avoid a data leak, according to Network World.

More than half of small businesses (53 per cent) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support. London-based Connect conducted the research in 2007.