End Users Have More Access to Unstructured Company Data Than Necessary

In the latest in somewhat alarming statistics concerning device and data security, Varonis Systems found that more than 50 percent of IT security professionals are not surprised that end users are accessing more company data than they should be. The company researched attendees at security conferences in the U.S. and Europe and found that more than three-quarters of employees work for organizations that simply can’t tell them what happened to their lost data, files or emails.

The Varonis findings come after a Ponemon Institute (News - Alert) study showing that 71 percent of end users have access to company data they should not be able to see, and Varonis believes that number is even higher. The company, which specializes in software solutions for unstructured, human-generated enterprise data, pointed to organizations’ failure to keep data secure and the high likelihood of data breaches and damage as a major flaw in most companies’ security setups. Varonis further believes that when a breach occurs, organizations are slow to assess the damage or even notice it has occurred for weeks, months or sometimes never.

"It is scary to think that this many people consider it normal for employees to have access to data that they shouldn't have and for companies to not know where their missing data has gone," said David Gibson, VP at Varonis. "Data doesn't need to be missing in order to be stolen. Most organizations don't track or analyze user activity on their unstructured data, and this makes it far too easy for an insider or an attacker that has gotten inside to steal data without being noticed.”

Varonis’ software platform helps organizations map, analyze, manage and migrate unstructured and especially human-generated data. This includes items like spreadsheets, word processing documents, audio and video files and emails and text messages, which often contain sensitive financial information and intellectual property. The company’s Metadata Framework extracts critical data to map functional relationships around employees, data and usage. This enables strong data governance and security as well as enhanced collaboration and mobile data accessibility.

“Without the proper controls around unstructured data, companies are leaving themselves open for all types of trouble,” said Gibson. “We need to focus on the data assets that need protecting – making sure we understand where it's stored, that only the right people have access, and that we can track and analyze use to spot abuse."