CRN Network, April 07, 2010, 1230 hrs
Websense recently revealed the findings of its data security survey conducted amongst 50 CIOs, chief risk officers and IT managers at the e-Crime India Congress in Mumbai, India. The survey was conducted to gauge the impact of data loss on organizations, its causes and readiness of organizations to stop security breaches.
Indian organizations are clearly under pressure to protect data as nearly all respondents (98 percent) said that they are under pressure to protect against data loss.
“The survey findings suggest that data security is among the top issues for IT management, and confidentiality of data is critical despite tough economic conditions and increased compliance issues,” said Surendra Singh, Regional Director, India and Saarc, Websense. “With changes in the IT Act to protect confidential data, the necessity to reduce the risk of losing customers or damaging corporate reputation, organizations should step up their plans in building safeguards against possible data breaches.”
Reputation risk and potential loss of customers emerged as two major concerns amongst IT decision makers if a data breach was to occur. About 89 percent of the respondents said that it may lead to loss of customers, 82 percent said that it will result in loss of reputation, and about 31 percent said that it may have a negative impact on the share price of the company.
About 63 percent of the respondents opined that the ultimate responsibility of data loss should lie with the Board (CEO, CTO, and CFO) of an organization. Equal percentage of respondents also believed that most data breaches happen as a result of unintentional or accidental data leaks. About 48 percent of respondents felt that companies are not prioritizing security due to cost-cutting measures.
Data breaches happen when employees take confidential data with them while leaving the company, opined 68 percent of the respondents. A whopping 89 percent of the respondents were of the view that amendments made to the Information Technology Act 2000 IT Act are a step in right direction for tackling data security issue. |