Security Alert: Confidential Data at Risk Even with Policies in Place
Xerox and McAfee Team Up to Deliver a New Level of Protection
New survey says more than half of workers don’t always follow or are unaware of their company’s security policies
India, February 22, 2012 – Think confidential information is protected by company IT security policies? Think again. A new survey commissioned by Xerox (NYSE: XRX) and McAfee, reveals that more than half (54 percent) of employees say they don’t always follow their company’s IT security policies (33 percent) or aren’t even aware of the policies (21 percent) – leaving the security of customer credit card numbers, financial reports, and HR and tax documents at risk.
According to the survey, 39 percent of employees who copy, scan or print confidential information at work worry at least sometimes whether the information on a networked device will remain secure.
To address this concern, Xerox and McAfee are teaming up to design a security system to help companies protect against threats to this confidential data. By integrating embedded McAfee software into Xerox technology, the two companies plan to use a whitelisting method that allows only approved files to run, offering significantly more protection than traditional black listing tactics, where a user has to be aware of and proactively block viruses, spyware and other malicious software. Additionally, the solution provides an audit trail to track and investigate the time and origin of security events, and take action on them.
“With more than 50,000 new security threats emerging each day, protecting sensitive company information can be intimidating for IT managers – especially when you consider that any device sitting on the network, from a PC to a fax machine, can be exposed to those threats,” said Rick Dastin, president, Enterprise Business Group, Xerox Corporation. “This partnership will work to ensure those devices are secure and company information is protected.”
Xerox and McAfee are improving the safety of devices on the network to protect proprietary company data – a needed solution according to survey data, which also found that some companies don’t take simple steps to lessen the risk, such as making sure employees are aware of IT policies and use access codes to pick up prints and copies. Additional survey results found:
· Half (51 percent) of those employees whose workplace has a printer, copier or MFP say they’ve copied, scanned or printed confidential information at work.
· Of the 39 percent who say they are at least sometimes worried about confidential information staying secure, 86 percent say they are at least somewhat worried about personal information, 77 percent say customer data, 77 percent say employee information and 70 percent say proprietary company information.
· More than half (54 percent) say computers pose the biggest security threat to their company’s network compared to other IT devices, while only 6 percent say it is MFPs.
· Only 13 percent of employees whose workplace has a printer, copier or MFP say they are prompted to enter a password or passcode on the MFP before releasing a job they’ve printed or accessing the ability to copy.
“The threat landscape has evolved to include devices that when originally designed, where never considered a security threat,” said Tom Moore, vice president of embedded sales, McAfee. “Now we are seeing the need for security on devices like MFPs to protect confidential and proprietary data, which if lost or stolen, could negatively impact a company and its employees. The partnership with McAfee and Xerox embeds security into the device for better protection.”
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Xerox from Jan. 5-9, 2012 among 2,541 adults ages 18 and older, of which 1,391 are employed full and/or part time. This survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About Xerox
With sales approaching $23 billion, Xerox (NYSE: XRX) is the world’s leading enterprise for business process and document management. Its technology, expertise and services enable workplaces – from small businesses to large global enterprises – to simplify the way work gets done so they operate more effectively and focus more on what matters most: their real business. Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Xerox offers business process outsourcing and IT outsourcing services, including data processing, healthcare solutions, HR benefits management, finance support, transportation solutions, and customer relationship management services for commercial and government organizations worldwide. The company also provides extensive leading-edge document technology, services, software and genuine Xerox supplies for graphic communication and office printing environments of any size. The 140,000 people of Xerox serve clients in more than 160 countries. For more information, visit http://www.xerox.com, http://news.xerox.com or http://www.realbusiness.com. For investor information, visit http://www.xerox.com/investor
About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com
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