Recent findings to investigate the key concerns about data leakage and endpoint security among organizations in Singapore has shown that despite the high levels of awareness and understanding of the benefits of implementing a security policy, almost half of all respondents still find that data is leaking through email, instant messaging and other electronic channels in their organizations.
The poll, conducted by Symantec, surveyed more than 100 IT managers based in Singapore, and examined how well-prepared these organizations are in preventing data loss.
According to the findings, an impressive 95 percent of the respondents polled have IT security policies in place and 93 percent actually take the time to educate their employees and enforce these policies. In addition, 70 percent of respondents revealed their companies use some form of endpoint security product, such as antivirus, firewall, anti-spyware, anti-spam, host intrusion prevention or network access control to secure their systems and prevent the loss of data.
The areas of biggest concerns for managing data loss cited was the rapid growth of mobile devices, such as smart phones, PDAs and laptops, with 37 percent of respondents considering employees working on corporate information from home to be the most vulnerable endpoints in today’s distributed IT environment.
“Data leakage is becoming a key concern for companies as it is not only costly in financial terms, it also comes at a price to a business’ reputation and customer confidence,” said Darric Hor, general manager of Singapore, Symantec.
“The research results underscore the current attitudes and challenges that Singapore companies face with data loss concerns. At Symantec, our customers’ concerns are our number one priority and we continue to offer industry-leading solutions to help organizations protect their sensitive information both within and outside company walls.”
Additional key findings from the poll include:
• 42 percent of respondents picked malicious activity in the form of Internet-based threats, attacks and hacks as the leading cause of data loss.
• Out of the companies that use some form of endpoint security product, 84 percent of respondents installed antivirus software and 69 percent have a firewall. Anti-spyware, anti-spam, host intrusion prevention and network access control averaged about 26 percent each.
• Almost a third of respondents indicated that that their biggest challenge in managing endpoints is the rapid growth of endpoint devices containing confidential corporate information. “Zero Day Threats” and “Inadequate employee education and training” are the next most challenging factors, with 22 percent picking each option respectively.
Symantec recommends companies adopt a strategy that combines employee education, policy definition and enforcement, as well as the appropriate technology controls to protect information at rest, in motion and in use. |
