Delving into the information which Software AG, the business infrastructure software specialist, asked of the ICO revealed that, out of the 356 reported data loss incidents, 71 memory sticks and CD-ROMs were lost, and there were 24 incidents of data being lost by couriers.

The data supplied by the ICO also showeds that there were 127 `devices' such as laptops lost, and 78 incidents where data was disclosed in error, either electronically or where the data was incorrectly addressed.

Commenting on the ICO data loss disclosures, Tim Holyoake, Software AG's lead technologist, said that the chronic problem of data loss should actually be in decline, and not increasing, as these figures seem to indicate.

"Organisations are failing to learn from previous examples. They continue to gamble with sensitive data via risky transfers, rather than implementing a robust infrastructure to ensure information is moved securely", he said.

"Few data losses have occurred where organisations have invested in secure, electronic data transfer technologies. This begs the question, why aren't CIOs insisting on greater use of these solutions?"

Andy Cordial, managing director of Origin Storage, the storage systems integration specialist, said that these data loss incidents involved organisations whose CIOs was prepared to come clean on their problems.

The probability of many more CIOs living in blissful ignorance of their underlings quietly sweeping their data loss mistakes under a very deep pile carpet is also extraordinarily high, he added.

"Words like `fiasco' and `disgrace' spring to mind, but in some ways I feel quite sorry for the organisations whose IT systems have been shown to be about as secure as a paper bag on a windy day", he said.

"And with highly secure PIN-enabled AES-encrypted drives up to one terabyte in size now available in the market , there really is no excuse for this situation. The affected CIOs should be ashamed of their staff", he added.