Top 15 countries for safe data storage

Switzlerand and Singapore are the respective best and second best nations on earth for safe data storage.

Britain is now ranked only 23rd on the list of “safest” nations for data storage, falling behind Estonia, Qatar and South Korea, among others. That’s according to a new Data Danger Zones report from secure data centre Artmotion, which ranked over 170 nations on their abilities to keep digital information safe, private and secure.

Combining independent data from the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Transparency International, Global IntAKE and Control Risk, the new international benchmark examines a range of key security factors - from the quality of digital infrastructure, to political instability, to the potential risk of natural disasters.

Of 170 countries benchmarked, the United Kingdom was ranked 23rd, falling behind the vast majority of major European nations. The UK did however rank higher than America, which came in 38th on the list, falling behind countries such as Slovakia, Bahrain and Latvia for overall data security.

The benchmark identified Switzerland as the least risky nation for data storage, receiving a “potential risk score” of only 1.6 percent. This was followed by Singapore (1.9 percent) and Iceland (2.3 percent). The riskiest nation for data storage is Somalia, with a risk score of 92.9 percent.

Commenting on the new report, Mateo Meier, CEO of Artmotion said: “More than ever, it is important for businesses and individuals to understand the impact that location can have on the privacy and security of their data.

“In the age of cloud computing, it’s easy to forget that every piece of information stored still requires a physical home, and that the geographic location of that home can have a serious impact on data privacy.”

“In support of this point, Data Danger Zones examines over 3.5 trillion IP addresses in 170 countries, providing one of the most comprehensive guides ever created for assessing data safety. Through this analysis we want businesses to be able to make a more informed decision of how and where to store their data, and have a better understanding whether or not it is truly safe.”

The top 15 safest nations are:

1. Switzerland (Data risk score – 1.6 percent)
2. Singapore (1.9)
3. Iceland (2.3)
4. Luxembourg (2.6)
5. Hong Kong (3.6)
6. Taiwan (3.9)
7. Austria (5.2)
8. New Zealand (5.2)
9. Portugal (6.9)
10. Denmark (7.6)
11. Finland (7.6)
12. Lithuania (7.6)
13. Norway (7.9)
14. Sweden (7.9)
15. South Korea (8.3)  

To download the full benchmark report, or to view an interactive map of the world’s data danger zones, visit www.artmotion.eu/risk-map

Read the July EURO 2016 issue of Business Review Europe magazine. 

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