Resellers have a golden opportunity to push encryption technology to UK firms in the wake of the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data breach scandal, security vendor Data Encryption Systems has claimed.

David Tomlinson, managing director of DES, said: “What has happened is just a very large-scale example of what is happening across the country. Resellers should be telling companies, ‘we can help you avoid the embarrassment and job losses seen at HMRC’.”

The global encryption market boomed 51 per cent to $432m (£209m) in 2006, according to Gartner, with pressure on the government to strengthen data protection laws likely to swell the market further in the UK.

Grahame Smee, managing director at security distributor Cohort Technologies, said: “It sometimes needs a compelling event to make end users see that certain technologies are valid, and this is that event. There is now an excellent opportunity for resellers that have the right products on board to take advantage.”