Ahead of upcoming EU data protection regulation reform, 84% of respondents of a Sophos survey agree Europe needs stronger data protection laws, but 77% do not believe their organisations comply with current regulation.
Conducted by Vanson Bourne, the research shows only 23% of participants believe their organisations comply with current regulation. Meanwhile 50% confess to either not knowing either not knowing what encryption is (7%) or whether their organisation has it (20%). Only 23% can confirm their organisations encrypts both employee and customer data.
When it comes to mobile device security 98% agree their data is more important than actual devices-- but 25% admit to storing corporate information on personal mobile phones and laptops, while 19% have lost a personal device at one point. At least 64% of respondents' organisations use password-protected mobile devices, but only 31% are aware of encryption functionality.
In comparison 51% of company laptop users can confirm their laptops are encrypted.
On the cloud front 31% say their organisations make use of cloud storage solutions such as Dropbox in the office, while 11% are not allowed to use such solutions but use them anyway.
“It’s clear from this research that despite the majority of end-users understanding the importance of information and the need to safeguard it, they are still prepared to ignore the dangers to make their lives easier," Sophos concludes. "If we are to beat cybercrime, organisations need to ensure that the right policies are in place, not only to safeguard business critical information but also meet the needs of the employees.”
Go Sophos Research Reveals Attitudes and Understanding of Data Protection Across Europe
