A study by data security experts Code42 has revealed that 75% of CEOs admit that they are using applications and programs that are not approved by their IT departments, playing a game of chance with critical corporate data.
Despite the known risks facing organisations today, such as data breaches, business decision makers (BDMs) and CEOs are putting critical data at jeopardy, according to the report.
Three quarters of CEOs and more than half (52%) of BDMs admit that they use applications/programs that are not approved by their IT department. This is despite 91 percent of CEOs and 83 percent of BDMs acknowledging that their behaviours could be considered a security risk to their organisation.
IT decision makers (ITDMs) say that half (50%) of all corporate data in the enterprise is held on laptops and desktops, instead of in the data centre or centralised servers. In the U.S., this rises to as much as 60%.
Simultaneously, the significance of this data to the productivity and security of the business is well understood at the top of the organisation — with 63% of CEOs stating that losing this data would destroy their business. But, awareness of the risk is doing little to change adherence to proper security practices.
“Modern enterprises are fighting an internal battle between the need for productivity and the need for security—both of which are being scrutinised all the way to the CEO,” said Rick Orloff, VP and CSO at Code42. “By using unauthorised programs and applications, business leadership is challenging the very security strategies they demanded be put in place. This makes it clear that a prevention-based approach to security is not sufficient; recovery must be at the core of your strategy.”
