Forget viruses, hackers and other hi-tech risks, one of the biggest security threats facing EMEA businesses is via the age-old medium of paper, according to new research from Lexmark, the printing solutions provider.
The study of over 1 000 office workers across EMEA reveals businesses are still in the dark ages when it comes to handling and securing sensitive paper documents:
*A quarter (25%) of professional office workers leave confidential papers open on their desk.
*The printer tray is a major security weakness. Nearly half (49%) of documents left there contain sensitive or confidential company or employee information.
*Almost one in 10 workers (8%) say they look through colleagues` documents on the printer tray.
*Almost one in 10 (7%) of office workers say they generally bury sensitive or confidential documents under other paperwork on their desk rather than shredding them.
"As our research shows, companies across EMEA are failing to address the issue of document security, despite the high risks this can pose to their business," says Eamon Ryan, Vice-President and General Manager of Lexmark EMEA.
"As a result, Lexmark is working to raise awareness of the issue and has developed tailored solutions to help businesses protect confidential and sensitive documents. For example, simple solutions - such as Lexmark`s new Confidential Print feature which requires employees to enter a PIN number to retrieve a document from the printer - can significantly help increase document security."
The lack of good practice in paper security is all the more alarming given that a third (33%) of EMEA office workers rate paper documents as more powerful and authoritative than e-mail or telephone communication.
Getting personal
Surprisingly office workers don`t seem to take any more care with the security of their own personal documents than those relating to company confidentiality. 41% have indiscreetly left their CV on the printer tray and 40% have openly left personal information behind.
For further information, please contact Louisa Craig at telephone (011) 244 2650; fax (011) 244 2629; e-mail louisa.craig@lexmark.co.za
Research conducted by Ipsos Global in November 2005.
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