Do you have confidential business files stored on your work computer? Maybe it’s a spreadsheet for a report that must be delivered to management tomorrow. If you don’t work on it from home, you’ll be at the office all night. As a trusted member of your company, you are authorized to view this type of data. The question is once you put the data on your laptop and take it home, how secure is it?
Lost and Stolen Equipment
The Ponemon Institute conducted a survey of 329 organizations that had 86,000 laptops lost or stolen over a one-year period. While physically replacing a laptop is certainly expensive, Ponemon explained that the value of the lost hardware represented only a small portion of the estimated cost. Much more expensive was the value of intellectual property on these laptops and the fees associated with data breaches and statutory notification requirements. The average cost to replace the data on the laptop was $49,246.
Spyware
After working in the IT industry for a number of years, I’ve heard many examples of spyware. Many times, this is a result of, “I let my child use my laptop for a little while, and now it’s infected.”
This problem frequently occurs when someone borrows your laptop and accidentally goes to a compromised site that is infected with spyware or maybe a virus. As a result, the laptop can become unstable and has to be rebuilt. According to BrandonGaille.com, 53% of all computer users have had some kind of experience with Malware infection. Important files should not become a victim of this catastrophe.
Is Encryption The Answer?
Some businesses see encryption as a way to store confidential business data and protect files. This secures data so that only individuals with the proper software and decryption key can access the information. While this may sound like a great solution, encryption can be difficult to work with in a collaborative professional environment.
Proper decryption tools must be installed on computers in order to decrypt and access the data. Additionally, it becomes very difficult to share files externally as even after the encrypted data has been transmitted; the remote company must have the appropriate decryption tools in order to access the file. This can take time and ultimately slow down your file sharing process.
Online File Sharing – Secure & Accessible Data
Online file sharing is a great option for protecting cloud-based files. Since files can only be accessed with a secure login, approved users are the only ones that can access them. Since the files are stored in the cloud, any viruses that affect your hard drive do not affect your securely stored files.
Online file sharing can provide secure data that is independent of hardware failures, loss, spyware, or other mishaps that can happen to business users on a daily basis. Online file sharing can allow your company to easily share your data between employees while providing the security you need to protect your company’s most important asset; it’s data.
By Charles Mount
