Australians Believe Telcos and Government Organisations More Likely to Suffer a Data Breach Than Other Industries, Unisys Research Finds

Airlines and healthcare perceived as much less likely to have a data breach

SYDNEY, 2 July, 2015 – New research from Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) finds that Australians believe telecommunications companies and government agencies are more likely to suffer a data breach of their personal data in the next 12 months than many other types of organisations.

Unisys Security Insights¹ is a global study that provides insights into the attitudes of consumers on a range of security issues. The study, conducted in Australia by Newspoll, surveyed 1,210 adults during April 2015.

The survey asked consumers in 12 countries about the likelihood that their personal data held by seven types of organisations (airlines, banking/finance, government, healthcare, retail, telecom, and utilities) would be accessed by an unauthorised person, accidently or deliberately, within the next year.

Fifty-eight percent of Australians surveyed expect a personal information data breach in the next 12 months at a telco. The majority of Australian respondents say a data breach is not likely at a healthcare provider, airline and transport company, or bank.

“Consumer trust must be earned and maintained,” warns Mr John Kendall, security program director, Unisys Asia Pacific. “This survey reveals which organisations the public perceives to be most vulnerable. To build trust, an organisation needs to not only take preventative measures, but to make those measures visible to build public confidence.”

% Australians expecting a data breach in next 12 months by industry:

​“Many Australians have personally experienced a data breach or have seen media reports of high profile breaches by government and telcos, so they have a low level of trust in the ability of those organisations to protect their data. Conversely, public scrutiny around the introduction of e-health records and the resulting assurances for how data would be protected has built community trust in healthcare providers’ ability to protect personal information,” Mr Kendall says.

“Airlines and other transport companies are the most trusted type of organisations. However, they will need to work to maintain this trust as they continue to capture more and more information about their passengers in a bid to provide personalised end-to-end services – including assistance with border security measures,” he says.

Previous Unisys research² revealed that data breaches impact a consumer’s willingness to deal with an organisation: The majority of Australians surveyed in 2011 (85 percent) said that they would stop dealing with an organisation if their data was breached. When asked if they would continue dealing with the same organisation but not use online services, only 24 percent of Australians said they would continue.

“Public confidence in an organisation’s ability to protect data must be a business priority,” Mr Kendall explains.

¹About Unisys Security Insights
Unisys Security Insights is global research that provides insights into the attitudes of consumers on a range of security related issues. The survey was conducted in April and May 2015 by Lieberman Research group in Latin America, Europe, Malaysia and the U.S.; and by Newspoll in Australia and New Zealand. Responses are from nearly 11,000 people in 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, visit www.unisys.com/securityinsights.

²Unisys Security Index research 2011 – The Australian public was asked what actions they would take if they found out their personal information being held by an organisation had been accessed by an unauthorised person.

About Unisys
Unisys is a global information technology company that solves organizations' most pressing IT and business challenges. With more than 20,000 employees serving clients around the world, our offerings include cloud and infrastructure services, application services, business process outsourcing services, and high-end server technology. For more information, visit www.unisys.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Unisys Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Unisys delivers services and solutions through subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan and through distributors or resellers in other countries in the region. For more information visit www.unisys.com.au. Follow us on www.twitter.com/UnisysAPAC.

Unisys is a registered trademark of Unisys Corporation. All other brands and products referenced herein are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Contact:

Julian Brophy, Perception Partners,
+61 408 276 749, julian@perceptionpartners.com.au

Claire Hosegood, Unisys Asia Pacific, +61 411 253 663
claire.hosegood@au.unisys.com