Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • Small Business

    Businesses Lack Confidence in Data Security: Report

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    April 19, 2012
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Seventy percent of organizations storing third-party data are not “very confident” that the sensitive data stored within their organization is protected, according to a survey conducted by Varonis, a provider of data-governance software. With 80 percent of organizations surveyed storing sensitive information from customers, clients, vendors and business partners, more than half were only “fairly confident” that it is protected. Nearly one-fifth were “not confident at all” that sensitive data is protected, and 5 percent were “unsure.”

      This means that the majority of organizations in this study are failing to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley, the United Kingdom Data Protection Act of 1988 and the EU Data Directive on Privacy (which may result in organizations being subject to 2 percent fines of global revenue), the report noted.

      It’s disconcerting that so many companies are still complacent when it comes to data protection, said David Gibson, director of strategy for Varonis.

      €œIt means that these organizations would have some serious questions to answer should they suffer a breach. In fact, regulators such as the SEC, ICO and EU would likely deem that they had failed in their obligation to provide appropriate security protection to prevent sensitive data breaches and impose a hefty financial penalty,€ he said. €œIt’s really not rocket science; if you’ve got sensitive data and you’re not very confident that it’s adequately protected, you need to take action.”

      When looking at the difference between organizations, of those who claimed to be very confident that their data was protected, 60 percent were very confident that they know where their sensitive data is stored. More than 40 percent monitor all actual access activity and assign owners to all folders and intranet sites. Additionally, 65 percent review and revoke permissions; 45 percent do so regularly, not just when someone leaves the organization.

      Those who are not confident that the data within their organizations is protected do not know where their data is stored (10 percent), do not monitor all data access (0 percent), do not have owners assigned for all data (3 percent), and less regularly review and revoke access.

      One interesting statistic was the confidence level of IT security personnel; their responses fell more into either extreme, with a higher percentage saying they are either very confident (33 percent) or not confident at all (26 percent).

      The gaps between the very confident and the other confidence levels were wider than for nonsecurity personnel, especially in access-activity monitoring, and knowing where third-party data resides. The gaps between the fairly confident and the not confident at all were narrower for security personnel than nonsecurity personnel.

      €œThe good news is that most respondents report that their organizations have at least partially implemented fundamental processes and controls for data protection, and there is a clear blueprint for how organizations can increase their data protection maturity,€ the report concluded. €œThe fairly confident report [that they] have all of the fundamental processes and controls in place for at least some of their data. They now need to expand their practice and use to move into the realm of the very confident.€

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×