EDITOR’S QUESTION
HOW CAN
ORGANISATIONS
ENSURE THEIR
DIGITAL CLUTTER
DOES NOT CLOUD
THEIR DATA SECURITY
PRACTICES?
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B
usinesses are putting themselves at
increased risk of losing data, by not
curbing the actions of current and
former employees.
A large percentage of workers still have
access to files and documents from a
previous employer, putting the integrity
of data and company livelihood at risk,
according to the Sorting Out Digital Clutter
In Business research from Kaspersky Lab.
Former employees can also use this data for
their own purposes, for example in a new
workplace, or they may accidentally delete
or damage it. As a result, data recovery will
require time and effort, which otherwise
could be spent on more useful business tasks.
With every business today drowning in
digital files, using collaboration applications,
online documents and file sharing services, it
can be hard for them to keep track of what
data resides where, who has access to it,
when and how. However, this lack of clarity
when it comes to ‘digital clutter’ is not only
an organisational headache; failing to lock
down data that lives online could pose a
disadvantage or even a threat to business.
The risk of unauthorised access to work
files may not come from the most obvious
party – workers that are no longer with a
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INTELLIGENTCIO
company but were not cut off from the
corporate email service, messenger app
or Google documents. The situation is
especially worrying as these assets include
intellectual property, commercial secrets or
other protected or confidential data that, if
let loose, could be used by cybercriminals or
competitors to their own advantage.
The study also found that due to digital
data mess, it takes employees’ time to
find the right document or data stored in
different places. A total of 62% of office
staff found it difficult to locate a document
or file while at work, while 52% also use
the same device for work and personal
use, which means that information on
different devices can be duplicated or
become outdated, causing confusion and
possible errors at work. This digital clutter
may also lead to data compromise if it falls
into the hands of a third party, or even a
competitor. The consequences of this could
take the form of penalties and lawsuits with
clients, as a result of violation of an NDA or
data protection legislation.
faire attitude to sensitive corporate data
may seem harmless enough and might not
directly lead to a breach, however it does
point towards a need for wider education of
the risks.
“Digital files in disarray and uncontrolled
access to data can sometimes lead to
breaches and cyber-incidents but, in
most cases, will likely result in office work
disruption, wasted time and lost energy
associated with recovering missing files,” said
Sergey Martsynkyan, Head of B2B Product
Marketing at Kaspersky Lab.
“Combating clutter, carefully managing
access rights and using cybersecurity
solutions is not only about protecting
against cyberthreats, it is a guarantee of
effective work without interruptions, where
all files are in the right place and employees
can allocate their time to achieving
business goals, having all the data they
need at hand.”
The problem of proper access to work
assets is also highlighted by the fact that
a significant percentage of workers admit
to sharing their username and password
credentials for a work device with a co-
worker. Bad password habits and a laissez-
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