Over half of IT professionals don’t encrypt mobile data

Sean Glynn, vice president and chief marketing officer at the data protection firm, asks: "With news of defenceless USB sticks containing sensitive information being lost and stolen being commonplace, what will it take for the message to get through?" In fact, 52% of IT workers admit to carrying company data on an unencrypted USB stick. Also, 11% of this supposedly savvy audience 'protect' their devices with passwords alone – a defence that is widely understood to be easily breached. What's more, the study suggest that the type of data left unprotected would lead to serious repercussions should it get into the wrong hands. It includes intellectual property (67%), customer data (40%) and employee details (26%). Glynn points out that data transported on any unencrypted mobile device – such as laptops, handheld devices, smartphones, USB drives and CD-DVDs, are the equivalent of ticking time bombs, waiting to blow up in the organisation's face – with mandatory audits, breach notifications, hefty fines and public humiliation likely to ensue. "Credant won't rest on its laurels. As long as there are new devices coming into the arena, and new threats to protect them against, we'll continue to work with organisations to deliver flexible solutions that track and report on where sensitive data is moving," insists Glynn.