Data protection? Just do the math
By Davey Winder in Editorial
Posted in Business, Data Protection, Security, email on
I hate doing the math when it comes to data protection, not least because the end user security sums just don’t add up more often than not. Case in point would be a survey regarding data theft and email usage from InvisiViewmedia which has just landed on my desk. This claims that 98 percent of employees think it is “vital to protect confidential information” yet at the same time reveals that a worrying 30 percent quite happily send that confidential information unsecured in the body of an email or as an unencrypted attachment.
If those sums make you barf, wait until you get a load of this. This same survey also asked if people were worried that their sensitive and confidential data might get into the wrong hands. Now given that we live in a fairly data security-aware world these days, courtesy of so many high profile cock-ups making the mainstream news broadcasts and newspapers, you might think that the numbers would be high in favour of those who were really concerned about the prospect. But, alas, no. The math shows that 46 percent did sorry but thought there really was no alternative, and 25 percent claimed that the “risk of a security threat is too small” to even worry about. But wait, here’s the really screwed up bit: 13 percent were actually quite willing to take the risk of loss.
Jan Gunner, a director at InvisiViewmedia comments “Considering how clued-up most businesses are today when it comes to the very real threat of data interception, it is quite alarming to discover quite a complacent attitude in terms of securing confidential information. More interesting is the belief that there is no alternative to sending such data securely and this is something we are very keen to educate businesses on”.
Rated: 80% (2 votes)
Loading ...Comment by Janice Gaines - February 22, 2010 on 12:04 pm
I think David Scott is right: Most individuals and organizations enjoy Security largely as a matter of luck. Anyone else here reading I.T. WARS? I had to read parts of this book as part of my employee orientation at a new job. The book talks about a whole new culture as being necessary – an eCulture – for a true understanding of security, being that most identity/data breaches are due to simple human errors. It has great chapters on security, as well as risk, content management, project management, acceptable use, various plans and policies, and so on. Just Google IT WARS – check out a couple links down and read the interview with the author David Scott at Boston’s Business Forum. (Full title is I.T. WARS: Managing the Business-Technology Weave in the New Millennium).
Pingback by - February 22, 2010 on 5:33 pm
[…] such data securely and this is something we are very keen to educate businesses on
Comment by www.4uhats.com - August 4, 2010 on 7:10 am
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