Employees’ lax attitude to workplace data is why your business has security holes

Wondering why you’ve had more security breaches or data leaks than you can shake a stick at? Turns out that workers in the UK aren’t as bothered by keeping workplace data safe as they are for their own personal files.

Employees' lax attitude to workplace data is why your business has security holes

A survey of 2,000 full-time UK workers carried out last year by Censuwide, on behalf of Citrix, found “an alarming disparity in employee attitudes toward work and personal data”.

Of those surveyed, 45% said they regularly use passwords to secure documents at home, but only 35% said they did so at work.

This contrast is even more stark when it comes to the destruction of physical documents. While almost 70% of respondents said they shred and dispose of unwanted personal documents, only 40% do the same at work.

The survey also asked about people’s attitudes towards device security. While almost 60% of over 55s said they would only use work devices with trusted company security software, only 47% of workers aged 25-34 could say the same.

This comparatively laidback attitude could present a significant security risk for businesses if an unsecured device with access to the company network or data were compromised, Citrix claimed.

Chris Mayers, chief security architect at the company, said: “This research demonstrates that despite many individuals being well aware of basic precautions for handling their own personal data, too many are not so conscientious at work.

“Employers have a responsibility to provide the tools and safeguards: employees need to use them. Protecting a company’s digital assets is a two-way street.”

READ NEXT: How to protect yourself against hackers

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