Although many companies believe they always use secure methods to exchange files internally and between third party vendors, a new survey from Cyber-Ark Software has discovered that only a few use safe, auditable transfer processes.
The Cyber-Ark survey questioned over 400 senior IT professionals at firms in the UK and US, and found that 80% of companies believed their methods of transferring data were secure, but more detailed questioning revealed that just 13% were actually using secure processes.
Companies traditionally rely on FTP technology (43%), “secure email” (32%), regular email (20%), courier services (11%) and postal service (9%) to handle data transmission.
“As data breaches continue to be increasingly prevalent, costly and damaging, organisations must step up their efforts to ensure that their sensitive data is being exchanged and transferred in a secure manner that also meets audit and compliance requirements,” said Udi Mokady, CEO of Cyber-Ark Software. “However, the survey findings clearly demonstrate that the most common methods used for file transfer are often the least secure, and lack manageability and governance.”
Industries where regulation is very tight, such as financial services, energy and healthcare, need to ensure that data transfers are secure so they comply with industry standards.
“With Cyber-Ark’s Inter-Business Vault, we were able to quickly automate manual processes for exchanging highly sensitive data, including social security numbers from our benefits provider and lockbox transfer of our bank account information, ” said Michael Shrader, network security specialist, Glatfelter Insurance Group.
Cyber-Ark Software is a Massachusetts-based information security firm, with clients including Orange, BT, CaptialOne and ING Direct.
