Organizations claim to know where their sensitive data is located, but security firm Vormetric isn’t so sure, based on the results of its 2016 Data Threat Report, which found that while 43 percent of respondents say they have “complete knowledge” of their data, respondents also say that “lack of knowledge” of data amid the rise of cloud and mobile computing is a barrier to effective security.
“At the very least, the results are highly counterintuitive and could suggest that our prior conceptions about the need for data discovery and classification were actually misconceptions. At worst, the results suggest many firms are in denial about how much sensitive data they have and where it’s located, which could be a harbinger of continued damaging data breaches,” Vormetric said in the report completed with the assistance of research firm 451 Research.
In addition, the survey showed that 85 percent of respondents are keeping sensitive data in cloud environments – and they express concern about the safety.
“Security is still an afterthought when it comes to adopting new technologies, often taking a back seat amidst the rush to stake a claim in a promising new market,” said Garrett Bekker, senior analyst of information security, at 451 Research and the author of the report. “We found that enterprises are storing sensitive data in just these types of environments – 85 percent in cloud, 50 percent in big data, and 33 percent in IoT. Many have strong concerns about the security of their data as a result.”
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Erin is the managing editor of Advisen’s Front Page News. She has been covering property-casualty insurance since 2000. Previously, Erin served as editor-in-chief of The Standard, New England’s Insurance Weekly. Erin is based in Boston, Mass. Contact Erin at [email protected].
