Almost 90% of organisations are concerned about consumer file sharing and meeting future data regulations

Intralinks® Holdings, Inc. has announced the findings of two studies, which collectively surveyed over 800 global enterprise IT and business leaders to understand their collaboration requirements and identify the issues they face protecting sensitive data and valuable IP. The research shows widespread concern about how to maintain control of files as information security and privacy regulations tighten, fuelling a rush to block access to consumer file sharing applications like Dropbox and YouSendIt.

The research was reviewed by Hurwitz & Associates and leveraged for the firm’s whitepaper titled, “Enterprise Collaboration: Avoiding the Productivity and Control Trade-Off.” Marcia Kaufman, COO and Principal Analyst at Hurwitz and Associates, says: “There is widespread recognition that being able to collaborate effectively with partners and customers provides a competitive edge, but organisations are increasingly concerned about ensuring they also retain control over their data wherever it travels. Today, only 30% of organisations think they have adequate visibility and control over information shared outside their firewall.”

Key findings from the research include:
• Employees are using consumer-grade file sharing without IT or business oversight. Many IT departments are not aware of the extent to which employees are sharing content using cloud tools designed for consumers. Across all the organisations included in one study, approximately 60% of employees are using consumer-grade tools for business, while 49% of organisations report attempting to block these services, clearly with limited success. This reality leaves organisations open to data leakage, inappropriate disclosures and regulatory risks.
• The accidental mishandling of information and data happens every day. Most organisations focus on preventing malicious data theft and hacking. While this is critical, the reality is that the vast majority of data loss is the result of accidental mishandling and inappropriate sharing. For example, 80% of study participants reported receiving an email not intended for them, while 53% confess to making the same mistake. An astonishing 43% say these errors occur on a monthly basis.
• Securing the perimeter and infrastructure does not ensure content security. Companies are moving to a more collaborative way of doing business, which results in an increased flow of data between parties both internal and external to an organisation. Existing enterprise security strategies that provide security for data at rest are insufficient for sharing data that moves across corporate boundaries. Therefore, protection at the file level is needed in order to protect information wherever it travels.
• Regulatory issues around content security are real and evolving. New, more onerous regulatory requirements are being introduced at increasing rates. With the proliferation of consumer-grade technologies entering enterprise environments, IT and compliance departments are having difficulty meeting these new requirements. Almost 90% of the organisations participating in the study expressed concerns about meeting future regulatory demands around information security in their industry, with 43% expecting they will need to change their existing policies.

John Landy, CTO Intralinks, concludes: “We have invested a lot of time talking to global businesses about their enterprise collaboration needs and how they can safely share information. The reality is most organisations have limited insight into what content is being shared, where it is being shared and who is sharing it. Companies need to strike that fine balance between usability and diligent control when evaluating their collaboration strategies. Based on the intelligence collected through these studies, this research paper advises businesses on best practice guidelines for implementing collaboration tools to ensure regulators are appeased, corporate IP is protected and employees remain productive.”