Data Protection's Hall of Shame

The bigger they are, the saying goes, the harder they fall. Despite a hoard of solution providers hawking tools, techniques, and technologies, some of the world's biggest outfits have succumbed to data loss, theft, or compromise.

We've profiled some of these stories in our article today on data protection miscreants.

Our purpose was twofold: First, we think it's important to note that even in firms that make a business of data protection, it's possible to fall victim to internal or external threats. Turning to tape backup instead of disk, ignoring potential pitfalls and warnings, treating outsiders and insiders alike -- all of it can factor in data protection woes.

In other instances, problems run deep and damaging. Some outfits seem to foster a culture of negligence when it comes to data protection -- making for a particularly difficult and dangerous situation.

The second reason we published this list is that experience is a great teacher. The organizations we list in our article didn't ask to be there. But most of them learned the hard way that despite precautions, there are risks to data everywhere, and it's increasingly challenging to keep pace with danger. Knowing how someone has tripped up -- or been tripped -- can help others ward off similar mishaps.