We all know how the cloud delivers greater freedom and connectivity, but what are the attitudes and concerns from executives? And how does employee behavior with the cloud impact data security?
“Keeping Your Data Safe: Protecting Corporate Information in the Cloud,” a WSJ Custom Studios report commissioned by Symantec, found that while 67% of corporate executives surveyed worldwide use cloud services, only 45% feel very confident when their company’s sensitive data rests in the cloud.
Symantec commissioned the research to help enterprises understand employee behavior and attitudes with the cloud and provide actionable insights. With the changing landscape, organizations need more visibility, control and protection for data wherever it resides.
Today’s hybrid environment
Yesterday’s data was mainly on-premise and easier to protect. IT teams had visibility and control of the endpoints and understood how and where sensitive data was stored and used. Today, organizations exist in a hybrid environment. Data is everywhere employees roam—on-premises, on mobile devices, and in the cloud. IT organizations want the same control and visibility they have for on-premises for cloud environments.
As organizations adopt cloud applications, they face the challenge of keeping confidential data protected. This sensitive data can include financial information, customer credit card numbers, patient health records, employee IDs, intellectual property (IP), and more.
While protecting information is and should be a company-wide concern, the report found that 51% of employees believe safeguarding corporate information is the IT team’s problem, not theirs.
Are your employees putting your data at risk?
Recent cyber attacks and data breaches continue to make the headlines, but not all threats involve hackers. The behavior of well-intentioned employees can also put sensitive corporate data at risk. While this employee behavior is not intentionally malicious, their attitudes show they’re not too concerned about security risks, which can potentially lead to some disastrous results.
According to the report:
- 79% of employees admit to engaging in risky behaviors—intentionally or unintentionally—that place corporate data at risk
- 48% of employees don’t think about security risks when transferring files or sharing documents over cloud-based services
Cybercriminals are looking for ways to steal your sensitive corporate data; and this risky employee behavior can assist these criminals.
For example, an employee uploads a document (with sensitive corporate data) to the cloud to access later at home on her own personal mobile device. While her intentions to be more productive are good, IT doesn’t have visibility to the information, with whom it’s being shared, and how it’s being used. And if the cloud app used by the employee is unsanctioned, the employee creates more risks.
How common are unsanctioned cloud apps? According to the report, nearly 25% of employees use cloud tools (such as file storage) without IT approval.
Companies need visibility and control of sensitive data—even if IT has approved or provided the cloud app—because user behavior puts the data at risk. Impacts of data breaches include financial liabilities, regulatory compliance penalties, negative brand impact, having proprietary information leaked to your competitors, and more.
Learn how to protect your data
Organizations are taking steps to make the cloud safer by increasing security budgets, educating employees on best practices company wide, and looking for data loss prevention solutions.
Symantec delivers enterprise-grade DLP for your entire enterprise environment—on-premises, mobile devices, and in the cloud.
As information moves out of your hands and into the cloud, it raises concerns about security, privacy, and compliance. Symantec Data Loss Prevention (DLP) addresses these issues so you can take advantage of the cloud with control and visibility. It discovers, monitors, and protects your confidential data across cloud, mobile, and on-premise environments. To learn more about Symantec Data Loss Prevention, see: http://www.symantec.com/data-leak-prevention/.
- For additional information: Read the “Keeping Your Data Safe: Protecting Corporate Information in the Cloud” executive summary
- Download “The Silver Lining” infographic