IT World Canada: Canadian Security companies 'overconfident' in data security: study

(9-Nov-2011) If you ask Websense Inc. whether most Canadian companies are as secure as they think they are, the answer is a resounding no. According to a study commissioned by the San Diego, Calif.-based software firm, the vast majority of those interviewed as being confident in their security policy and technology, a confidence that is misplaced, the company says.

The reason Websense is most concerned is that a large portion of the data lost, as reported in the survey, was accidental. This included posting to social media sites, taking files offsite on insecure mobile devices and transferring files to flash drives. “Considering all of these things that are happening, we wanted to find out, are the IT managers ahead of the curve from a confidence level or are they getting stressed out and going around the bend?” Fiaaz Walji, Canadian country manager for Websense Inc., said.

What it suggests is implementing DLP (Data Loss Prevention) software, like its Data Security product, that prevents users from forwarding, copying or moving data that fits into a predetermined set of filters. James Quin, senior research analyst at Info-Tech Research Group Inc., said this is DLP’s strength. “DLP makes it harder for (hackers) and what it’s really really good at is ensuring those accidental data losses,” he said.

Click here for full article