Rise in Unprotected Enterprise Endpoints

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. 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 need to expand their IT measures to safeguard the increasing mobile workforce.

According to the survey of 224 IT and security administrators, over 40 percent 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 percent) of businesses have up to a quarter of their total workforce consisting of regular remote users.

Yet, regardless of the growth in remote users, Check Point found just 27 percent of respondents say their companies currently use hard disk encryption to protect sensitive data on corporate endpoints. In addition, only 9 percent 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 percent of businesses saying they use data encryption, the majority of corporations are left dangerously exposed to the risk of a serious data breach," said Juliette Sultan, head of global marketing at Check Point. "Fortunately, the survey data also shows enterprises recognize the need to address the issue, particularly with a growing mobile workforce."

Check Point's survey revealed approximately 47 percent of respondents plan to purchase an endpoint security solution in the next year with disk encryption (24 percent), NAC (22 percent) and media encryption (13 percent) being the most popular endpoint applications. Desktop antivirus (90 percent), antispyware (56 percent), personal firewalls (49 percent) and VPN clients (49 percent) remain the leading endpoint applications already deployed within the organizations 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 organizations, 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. Eighteen percent of respondents were from the finance sector, 14 percent from manufacturing and 11 percent from local or national government. Forty-four percent were from North and South America, 42 percent from EMEA and 11 percent from Asia Pacific region. In terms of organisation size, 23 percent had up to 99 employees, 25 percent had 100 to 499 employees, 13 percent had 500 to 999, 24 percent had between 1,000 and 4,999 employees and 15 percent 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.