RSA: Corporations Looking For Help To Fight Insider Threats
Hansen said that businesses will increasingly be required to integrate identity management and access control technologies with their security infrastructures in order to prevent data from being lost or stolen. "In a climate where companies are undergoing massive restructuring, this is really where the action is," he said.
Insider threats are becoming more pervasive. Disgruntled employees often retain access to information after being laid off or changing roles within an organization. Meanwhile, access given to remote or contracted workers has resulted in openings in the network perimeter, exposing sensitive company information to possible loss or theft.
Hansen added that a recent CA survey indicated that 59 percent of workers admitted taking confidential data from their employers, and 40 percent of companies said they had suffered financial losses due to a data breach. Subsequently, survey results showed that the majority of businesses said that they planned to increase or maintain their security spending, despite the lagging economy.
"Not surprisingly, companies are willing to invest in security," Hansen said. "Our customers tell us that in every aspect of IT, protecting data tops everyone's list of priorities."
The challenge is heightened by an unstable economic environment. A data breach today could spell disaster for many organizations.
"Companies cannot afford an embarrassing and costly security breach, especially in these uncertain economic times," Hansen said. "Every business challenge is amplified. Improving productivity and efficiency can spell the difference between survival and extinction."
As a result, the work environment requires comprehensive identity and provisioning management in order to prevent data theft and loss. Specifically, he said, the current security environment calls for integrated, interoperable and intelligent security solutions that can keep workers secure while not impeding productivity.
Companies say they want to protect data from every portal across the entire organization. In addition to protecting end points and the network perimeter, customers are required to have comprehensive policies in place for compliance and auditing purposes, as well as identity management, authentication and access control capabilities. Those products need to be "integrated like never before," Hansen said.
"Managing confidential data cannot be at the end point only," Hansen said. "Your security measures need to enable your employees while at the same time guaranteeing a compliance environment."
"Crisis creates opportunity to drive change," Hansen added. "Now is an ideal time to take provisioning to the next level."