More than half of companies worldwide report that they are
planning to invest in DLP technology, according to a new report released
yesterday.
Sponsored by Dimension Data and conducted by researchers by
IDC, the survey of more than 400 IT security decision makers found that
internal data leak concerns were more top of mind than external hacking risks.
The survey reported that 45 percent of security pros were concerned
about data leakage through accidental employee error, versus only 15 percent who
considered external hackers with malicious intent as a big data leak threat.
The other 85 percent of survey respondents actually believed that it was very unlikely
that they would experience data loss through external hacking. Approximately
60 percent of those surveyed reported that from a data leak perspective they were
unlikely to be affected by virus attacks.
These survey numbers show that the idea that security needs
to reach inside the perimeter may have finally penetrated the consciousness of
core security users.
“"The challenge when protecting an organization from
internal data loss is that traditional defenses are designed to face outward,
at the perimeter of a network, whereas the inside of the network remains
relatively free of security controls,” Neil Campbell, global general manager of
security solutions for Dimension Data, said in a statement on the release of
survey data.
Even in these dismal economic conditions, IT departments are
still spending on security, the report found. Approximately 19 percent of those
surveyed reported that they actually increased security spend this year, while
an additional 40 said their security budget remained the same.
Channel partners will increasingly get a crack at these
security dollars if they play their cards right. Approximately 59 percent of
those surveyed said they are planning to invest in IT security audits. And
approximately 52 percent of respondents said their future plans include the purchase
of security consulting services.