Companies reluctant to share big data without better security

UK businesses are missing out on the commercial potential that could be generated from big data because of fears about data leaks, researchers have found.

Companies are hoarding data rather than sharing it openly or turning it into information-based products, according to research carried out by Imperial College Business School with funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Researchers worked with organisations such as the Office for National Statistics, the media regulator Ofcom, IBM and the BBC to gather the information.