EMA Research Examines How Enterprises are Responding to the Increase in Insider Data Breaches

BOULDER, Colo., Feb. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Enterprise Management Associates (EMA™), a leading IT and data management research and consulting firm, today announced the release of a new research report titled "The Threat From Within: Strategies to Defend Against a Growing Threat Vector" authored by Paula Musich, research director of security and risk management at EMA.

Concerns over the risk of insider threats—both malicious and negligent—are relatively high for most organizations, with 38% very concerned and 36% somewhat concerned. Conversely, less than 1% said their organizations were not at all concerned. This data indicates that the issue continues to be front of mind for both IT practitioners and executives.

"Well intentioned employees who skirt company policies on how to handle sensitive data in an effort to be more productive can potentially cause as much damage to their organization as a ransomware attack," said Musich. "The research revealed that a majority of enterprises see these negligent insiders as a bigger threat to their bottom line than other types of insider threats."

Given the multiple ways that insiders can hurt employers through negligence or malicious intent, it is a given that most organizations have experienced or will experience an insider incident. In response to the increase of data breaches caused by insiders, EMA surveyed 155 IT professionals from organizations with at least 500 employees in more than 10 vertical industries to discover how enterprises are responding to this increase, what role risk management plays in their insider threat protection programs, and which defenses IT security teams find to be most effective in preventing and detecting insider threats.

At least half of organizations are employing insider threat programs and dedicating new funding to their efforts to thwart insider incidents. Risk management is playing a more central role in rebuilding such programs or launching brand new initiatives. At the same time, many are moving past earlier hesitancy to monitor employee activity, possibly as a result of the loss of control organizations felt in their hastily developed work-from-home programs. This is an indication that organizations are taking a fresh look at their previously neglected insider threat monitoring efforts and devoting more resources to them.

Some of the key findings from the report include:

• On average, insiders caused 27% of breaches over the last year
• 57% dedicated new resources to protect against insider threats over the last year
• 73% updated employee security awareness training to account for work-from-home activities

This independent security research report was sponsored by Code42 and Dtex Systems.

A detailed analysis of the research findings is available in the report, "The Threat From Within: Strategies to Defend Against a Growing Threat Vector."

About EMA
Founded in 1996, EMA is a leading industry analyst firm that provides deep insight across the full spectrum of IT and data management technologies. EMA analysts leverage a unique combination of practical experience, insight into industry best practices, and in-depth knowledge of current and planned vendor solutions to help their clients achieve their goals. Learn more about EMA research, analysis, and consulting services for enterprise line of business users, IT professionals, and IT vendors at https://www.enterprisemanagement.com

Media Contact

Raleigh Gould, Enterprise Management Associates, 303-543-9500, [email protected]

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SOURCE Enterprise Management Associates