Data security is a question in the cloud. Business
executives still are clueless on the data security question in the
cloud. They would rather show worry about the security of cloud-based
applications, they are not deterred from using them to store their
personal and professional data, and they are not losing sleep over
their data and information, according to a recent survey
from SafeNet Labs, the creator of SafeMonk.
When SafeNet Labs, a technology incubator
initiative of SafeNet, Inc., asked hundreds of business
professionals worldwide if they were worried about the security of
the cloud-based applications or data stored in the cloud, 52
percent checked “Yes”; however, sixty-four percent of respondents
said they still frequently use cloud-based apps to store their
personal and professional data. Ironically, when asked what keeps
them up at night regarding their data and information, more than half
answered, “Nothing keeps me up; I sleep like a baby.”
Further examination of the survey data shows that
the higher a person is on the corporate ladder the more they use
file-sharing services like Dropbox, despite company policies against
it (33 percent of C-level titles said “yes” versus 18 percent of
associates). The majority of respondents, 59 percent, said they
“wouldn’t be surprised” if they found out that their boss or
executives were using file-sharing apps like Dropbox,
despite a policy against doing so. In general, C-level executives (39
percent checked “Yes”) are less concerned about security in the
cloud than associates (54 percent checked “Yes”).
“What this survey suggests is that cloud app usage
and document storage continue to proliferate, and that organizations
should reexamine antiquated attitudes towards usage of these apps
across the enterprise,” said Tsion Gonen, Chief Strategy
Officer, SafeNet, Inc. “It’s clear that top-level executives
understand the advantages of cloud app usage, and should enable their
companies to leverage these advantages by adopting contemporary
security tools and practices.”
Location also factors into respondents’ attitudes
about data security in the cloud. For example, the usage of
cloud-based apps is far greater in EMEA than in the U.S. or APAC; so
too are the levels of concern about data security and corporate
policies against using cloud apps. However, EMEA respondents are more
likely to ignore those very same policies. Who they are concerned
about also varies—when it comes to their data privacy, respondents
in the U.S. and EMEA are most concerned with the government, while
APAC is most concerned with Google. Additionally, APAC respondents
are the group most kept up at night when it comes to their data and
information, worrying that it will be maliciously exploited.
Overall, 52 percent of respondents are most
concerned with someone hacking into their banking and financial apps.
The systems most frequently used by respondents for file storage are
Dropbox (39 percent) and desk drawers (25 percent); and email
continues to be the dominant means for sharing files (68 percent),
according to the data.
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