Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • 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 Latest News
    • Small Business

    Data Security Policies Are Improving, but Risks Keep Rising

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    January 29, 2015
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      lumension and it security

      IT security departments are responding to data security risks with better policies, improved technology approaches and financial commitment, according to a worldwide study of more than 700 IT professionals by endpoint security specialist Lumension Security.

      The majority (51 percent) of organizations surveyed now maintain multiple data protection policies, up 16 percent from when the question was first asked in 2012.

      In 2014, 27 percent said they consider their data security policies exhaustive while 18 percent said their policies are minimal, a decrease of 30 percent since 2012.

      “There are three areas that organizations with limited budgets need to address when it comes to data protection—culture, policy and technical controls,” Chris Merritt, director of solution marketing at Lumension, told eWEEK. “Everyone, from the CEO to the junior clerk, needs to think security in their daily actions.”

      However, organizations report a continued need to defend against different types of attacks, including malware (57 percent), software vulnerability exploitation (23 percent) and denial-of-service attacks (19 percent).

      Survey results also indicated businesses struggle with related IT risks. On top of the list this year is accidental data loss by employees, cited by 40 percent of respondents. This represents a 10 percentage point increase from last year’s level.

      To combat these risks, organizations are also implementing security training. Of those that are doing so, 46 percent said they offer security training on a formal and ongoing basis and 28 percent do so on an informal, ad hoc basis. Both of these figures have increased from last year. However, 9 percent said they offer no security training.

      “I think we will continue to see an ever-evolving, more sophisticated onslaught of malware attacking through various means such as phishing, bad apps, drive-bys and so on,” Merritt said. “We will see continued growth in two areas in particular: malware designed to attack Macs—Apple OS X systems—and designed to attack mobile phones, both iOS and Android.”

      Just 8 percent maintain an “open access” policy while a fifth allow access with employee education and 16 percent limit access to higher-level staff. Additionally, one-fourth permit “controlled access” while more than one-fourth restrict access.

      Those that assign less than 2 percent of their IT budgets to security fell 26 percent from last year and those that dedicate as much as 10 percent grew by 34 percent.

      “The area that I think we’ll see the biggest noise in 2015 is destructive malware—be it ransomware meant to hold data hostage or truly evil malware designed to erase all digital information within an organization, such as was seen at Sony recently,” Merritt said. “This trend is particularly worrisome because it does more than steal data. It can lead to severe business disruptions or even going out of business, as it has done in a couple of cases recently.”

      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.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      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.
      © 2022 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.

      ×