Survey Finds Australian Organisations Under Greater Pressure to Protect Against Data Loss
Announcement posted by WatchGuard Technologies 25 May 2011
Sydney, 25 May 2011 – Australian public and private sector organisations are under greater pressure in 2011 to protect against data loss compared to last year with 52 per cent of IT security managers citing compliance with regulation and legislation as a key driver for security investment in the next 12 months.
That’s according to a survey of 110 security professionals conducted at last week’s AusCERT conference in Queensland by WatchGuard Technologies, a global leader of business security systems.
The survey found that 88 per cent of organisations are under more pressure this year than last to protect against data loss. At the same time, one in five security managers polled at AusCERT feel unable to catch individuals stealing data or hacking information from the corporate network. However, It is rational that not all data loss from within an organisation is malicious and can be the result of common mistakes that employees make.
However, when asked why companies don’t take proactive action against data loss, the survey found that 44 per cent don’t have the budget available for investment in such an exercise and 29 per cent of organisations don‘t believe they are actually being affected by data loss. Just over one in four organisations (27 per cent) feel the process of protecting against data loss is too complicated.
WatchGuard also found that only one in five organisations (18 per cent) believe that preventing unauthorised employee access to file and data will drive security investment in the year ahead. This figure trails the 36 per cent of companies which will invest in providing employees with safe access to social networking sites while 37 per cent of organisations are investing in providing security solutions for an increasingly mobile workforce. Remarkably, only 24 per cent of organisations are investing in security to assist with improving business continuity.
Finally, the survey found that 54 per cent of those responsible for IT security in their organisation are frustrated by lack of budget while 42 per cent don’t believe that IT security is high enough on their organisation’s overall business agenda. Just under one-third (29 per cent) of IT security managers are frustrated by the behaviour of their fellow employees when it comes to maintaining a strong security posture for the organisation.
“Sensitive information enters and exits company networks every day, and getting caught losing that confidential information is expensive, disruptive, and damaging to carefully nurtured corporate images. With the evolution of webbased applications, organisations are still largely uncontrolled and unmonitored when it comes to employees using email, social networks, webmail, and file transfers. The survey appears to suggest that whether data loss is accidental or malicious, IT teams need to gain insight into the magnitude of a potential data loss problem, identify security gaps, and develop a proactive approach to stop data loss before it happens,” said Scott Robertson, ANZ Regional Director, WatchGuard Technologies.
About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
Since 1996, WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. has been the advanced technology leader of business security solutions, providing mission-critical protection to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. The WatchGuard family of wired and wireless unified threat management appliances, messaging, content security and SSL VPN remote access solutions provide extensible network, application and data protection, as well as unparalleled network visibility, management and control. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity Service, an innovative support, maintenance, and education program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle and has offices serving North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
To learn more, visit http://www.watchguard.com
That’s according to a survey of 110 security professionals conducted at last week’s AusCERT conference in Queensland by WatchGuard Technologies, a global leader of business security systems.
The survey found that 88 per cent of organisations are under more pressure this year than last to protect against data loss. At the same time, one in five security managers polled at AusCERT feel unable to catch individuals stealing data or hacking information from the corporate network. However, It is rational that not all data loss from within an organisation is malicious and can be the result of common mistakes that employees make.
However, when asked why companies don’t take proactive action against data loss, the survey found that 44 per cent don’t have the budget available for investment in such an exercise and 29 per cent of organisations don‘t believe they are actually being affected by data loss. Just over one in four organisations (27 per cent) feel the process of protecting against data loss is too complicated.
WatchGuard also found that only one in five organisations (18 per cent) believe that preventing unauthorised employee access to file and data will drive security investment in the year ahead. This figure trails the 36 per cent of companies which will invest in providing employees with safe access to social networking sites while 37 per cent of organisations are investing in providing security solutions for an increasingly mobile workforce. Remarkably, only 24 per cent of organisations are investing in security to assist with improving business continuity.
Finally, the survey found that 54 per cent of those responsible for IT security in their organisation are frustrated by lack of budget while 42 per cent don’t believe that IT security is high enough on their organisation’s overall business agenda. Just under one-third (29 per cent) of IT security managers are frustrated by the behaviour of their fellow employees when it comes to maintaining a strong security posture for the organisation.
“Sensitive information enters and exits company networks every day, and getting caught losing that confidential information is expensive, disruptive, and damaging to carefully nurtured corporate images. With the evolution of webbased applications, organisations are still largely uncontrolled and unmonitored when it comes to employees using email, social networks, webmail, and file transfers. The survey appears to suggest that whether data loss is accidental or malicious, IT teams need to gain insight into the magnitude of a potential data loss problem, identify security gaps, and develop a proactive approach to stop data loss before it happens,” said Scott Robertson, ANZ Regional Director, WatchGuard Technologies.
About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
Since 1996, WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. has been the advanced technology leader of business security solutions, providing mission-critical protection to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. The WatchGuard family of wired and wireless unified threat management appliances, messaging, content security and SSL VPN remote access solutions provide extensible network, application and data protection, as well as unparalleled network visibility, management and control. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity Service, an innovative support, maintenance, and education program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle and has offices serving North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.
To learn more, visit http://www.watchguard.com