SecureData Security, part of JSE-listed SecureData Holdings and the sub-Saharan distributor for Check Point Software Technologies, today shared the results from a global customer survey of businesses regarding endpoint security trends.
Check Point found the number of remote workers continues to grow and businesses therefore needed to expand their IT measures to safeguard the increasing mobile workforce.
According to the survey of 224 IT and security administrators, over 40% of businesses in the last year have more remote users connecting to the corporate network from home or when travelling, compared to 2008. Check Point discovered the clear majority (77%) of businesses have up to a quarter of their total workforce consists of regular remote users.
Yet, regardless of the growth in remote users, Check Point found just 27% of respondents say their companies currently use hard disk encryption to protect sensitive data on corporate endpoints. In addition, only 9% of businesses surveyed use encryption for removable storage devices, such as USB flash drives. A more mobile workforce carrying large amounts of data on portable devices leaves confidential corporate data vulnerable to loss, theft and interception.
“With less than 30% of businesses saying they use data encryption, the majority of corporations are left dangerously exposed to the risk of a serious data breach,” commented Juliette Sultan, head of global marketing at Check Point. “Fortunately, the survey data also shows enterprises recognise the need to address the issue, particularly with a growing mobile workforce.”
Check Point's survey revealed approximately 47% of respondents plan to purchase an endpoint security solution in the next year, with disk encryption (24%), NAC (22%) and media encryption (13%) being the most popular endpoint applications. Desktop anti-virus (90%), anti-spyware (56%), personal firewalls (49%) and VPN clients (49%) remain the leading endpoint applications already deployed within the organisations surveyed.
IT staff surveyed at companies with less than 5 000 employees also report they currently use endpoint products from an average of three different vendors in their organisations, causing security management issues. Larger enterprises use on average endpoint products from five different vendors and also feel the complexity is difficult to manage effectively.
Check Point Endpoint Security is the first and only single agent to combine all the critical components for total security on the endpoint. With over 10 integrated security capabilities, Check Point Endpoint Security delivers higher levels of security while providing a transparent end-user experience. Endpoint Security is the only single agent to include Check Point WebCheck pre-emptive browser security, Full Disk Encryption, port and removable media protection and remote access VPN with traditional components of endpoint security.
The Check Point survey covered a range of business sectors: 18% of respondents were from the finance sector, 14% from manufacturing and 11% from local or national government. Forty-four percent were from North and South America, 42% from EMEA and 11% from Asia Pacific region. In terms of organisation size, 23% had up to 99 employees, 25% had 100 to 499 employees, 13% had 500 to 999, 24% had between 1 000 and 4 999 employees and 15% had more than 5 000 employees.
“Lost or stolen data is a security concern that is very much preventable. Check Point Endpoint Security is designed to protect sensitive data,” concluded Sultan.
For further information, please contact Doros Hadjizenonos at tel. +27 11 790 2500; fax +27 11 790 2599; e-mail dorosh@securedata.co.za.
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Check Point Software Technologies
Check Point Software Technologies is the leader in securing the Internet. Check Point offers total security solutions featuring a unified gateway, single endpoint agent and single management architecture, customised to fit customers' dynamic business needs. This combination is unique and is a result of its leadership and innovation in the enterprise firewall, personal firewall/endpoint, data security and VPN markets.
Check Point's pure focus is on information security. Through its NGX platform, Check Point delivers a unified security architecture to protect business communications and resources, including corporate networks and applications, remote employees, branch offices and partner extranets. The company also offers market-leading endpoint and data security solutions with Check Point Endpoint Security products, protecting and encrypting sensitive corporate information stored on PCs and other mobile computing devices. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumer PCs from hackers, spyware and identity theft. Check Point solutions are sold, integrated and serviced by a network of Check Point partners around the world and its customers include 100% of Fortune 100 companies and tens of thousands of businesses and organisations of all sizes.
SecureData
SecureData is a specialist, value-added distributor of perimeter, application, network, endpoint, storage and identity information security solutions and risk management solutions for the African sub-continent and Indian Ocean islands. A cross-section of the available solutions from SecureData illustrates wide coverage of the following information security and risk management domains: business continuity, security appliances and devices, hardware authentication, identity and access management, security and vulnerability management, secure content management, threat management and security services.
SecureData's information security and risk management solutions include best-of-breed solutions, devices and appliances for the perimeter, data centres, applications, network, endpoints, messaging and Web. In addition, as a value-add to vendor, channel and customer, SecureData also provides a full complement of support, pre-sales and professional services around the solutions positioned in each discrete security vertical.
For more information, visit SecureData at http://www.securedata.co.za.
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