80 percent of IT decision-makers believe more stringent data protection laws are needed, according to new research from Fujitsu.

The survey of UK IT professionals also found that 40 percent do not believe the current regulation around data protection and privacy is sufficient to protect an individual’s data.

Fujitsu‘s research also revealed that expectations of boardroom action on these issues were increasing; 80 percent of IT decision makers wanted to see data regulation discussed at boardroom level.

Additionally, 61 percent of respondents would welcome larger fines for data protection negligence.

The news comes as some stakeholders are calling for increased supra-national rulings on data matters.

Rik Turner, Senior Analyst at Ovum, commented: "We live in a very different world from 1995, which was when the last big piece of EU regulation in this area came out. It’s a world in which mobile working is the norm, with data being held all over the place.

"Today, we don’t necessarily know where our data is residing, and that’s clearly an issue for some countries and their citizens. This new legislation is making sure the regulations are appropriate to the technological landscape as it unfolds before us and takes into account how it has changed over the last 20 years."