Majority of Enterprise USB Security Outdated and Inadequate – Apricorn

Apricorn, Inc., manufacturer of software-free, hardware-encrypted USB drives, announced results of its survey, The Current State of USB Data Protection, revealing that encryption is the most critical means of data protection, even more than all regulatory-compliance solutions.

The report examines the benefits, policies and business drivers of USB usage across the education, finance, government, healthcare, legal, manufacturing and retail market segments.

Revelations from the survey underscore that, while USB drives are ubiquitous for employees across all industries, security policies for these devices are often severely outdated or grossly inadequate for protecting critical enterprise data.

Also, by failing to effectively monitor USB usage, organizations are leaving themselves vulnerable to data breaches, as well as putting their clients’ and employees’ personal information at risk.

One of the most significant findings is that while 9 out of 10 employees rely on USB devices today, only 20% of them are utilizing encryption on those devices. 8 out of 10 employees use non-encrypted USBs, such as those received for free at conferences, trade events or business meetings.

“With the increasing volume and complexity of data within today’s organizations, it is critical to provide employees with the tools to securely process this data,” said Mike McCandless, VP sales and marketing, Apricorn. “At the core of every security policy should be a foolproof, enforceable means of white listing any and all USB devices to ensure that only approved encrypted drives can be used when handling sensitive data. This greatly diminishes the vulnerability of employee non-compliance.”

The study also found that roughly 70% of employees surveyed maintained that USB drives improve the efficiency of their organizations’ IT operations and increase their productivity.

Other Key Findings:
• 69% of respondents agree that the use of USB drives increases productivity in the workplace
• Only 15% ask permission to use a USB drive
• 50% are required to seek permission to use external USB drives, while the other half are not
• 58% of organizations have adequate governance and policies to manage the use of USB drives in the workplace

Apricorn surveyed more than 400 employees ages 18 to 65-plus from industries including education, finance, government, healthcare, legal, manufacturing, retail and manufacturing in September 2017. This survey was completed online, and responses were random, voluntary and completely anonymous.