The high profile data breaches hitting the headlines over recent months aren’t all bad news. A surprising response from a software security firm, you might think, but if one good thing has come out of all the attention, it’s been an increased awareness of the importance of data security. The industry professionals I speak with are in no doubt that the issue has moved higher up the agenda in many businesses.
So I was surprised to read a survey this week reporting that 77 per cent of organisations fail to perform quarterly security and compliance training. The report also highlights the fact that many organisations are unaware of what security practises they currently have in place.
These findings are by no means unique. In fact our own research on a similar topic showed, perhaps more worryingly, that 38 per cent of people had received no training at all on security issues in their current job (whether in a dedicated session or otherwise).
Given that the same research revealed that 63 per cent of employees believe a lack of understanding is a key reason for security breaches, training and education can’t be overstated when it comes to helping organisations take control of their data security.
While it is important to have a security policy in place, it is also vital that employees are educated to ensure that data is kept safe. Although it does appear that data security has moved higher up the agenda in many businesses, it’s vital that we start to see a ‘trickle down’ to all levels of the business. Ignoring training or leaving employees without it for long periods of time (as this survey suggests many organisations are doing) simply isn’t acceptable given the pace of change in the technology world. Businesses should bring IT security out of the shadows creating a visible, flexible policy before educating staff so they are not only aware of the rules but, crucially, they also understand why those rules are in place.
By Nick Peart
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