IT staff can access sensitive data

Half of all IT staff can gain access to stored confidential business information, according to a data-security survey by Vanson Bourne.

Half of all IT staff can gain access to stored confidential business information, according to a data-security survey by Vanson Bourne.

The firm questioned 100 UK IT directors from various sectors that have between 1,000 and 3,000 employees, on behalf of data encryption vendor Decru. According to the report, as the number of employees rose, so did the number able to access sensitive information.

Ziv Navoth, marketing director at Decru EMEA, said: “This is the picture you get in many firms, partly brought about from the rise of pooling storage systems across IP networks without securing it effectively.”

Nearly one third of respondents from distribution, retail and data-security businesses admitted that half of IT staff have the ability to read confidential data because they are entrusted with its maintenance.

“This provides a huge added-value opportunity for the channel, enabling it to sell storage as well as security. As the markets begin to overlap, resellers in both markets could fulfil end-user needs,” Navoth said.

Last month, Decru was acquired by storage hardware vendor Network Appliance for $272m (CRN, 27 June).

Mark Hatton, managing director of distributor Sphinx, said: “This is a huge opportunity for the channel because organisations are alive to the fact that information is potentially under threat.

“We will see further evidence of security combining with network infrastructure. We will also see more opportunities for resellers.”

Defined sensitive information as that which could cause material damage to a business should it fall into the wrong hands.