Employees #1 Information Security Threat To Law Firms

Law360.com posted an article yesterday regarding a comprehensive survey that include CIO’s and IT Managers from more than 180 law firms with respect to information security threats.

The survey found that:

• 60.9% of IT professionals at law firms believe that the number one information security threat occurs from inside the perimeter… careless employees.
• Only 11.9% think malware was the biggest threat
• Hackers came in third with only 9% that believe it is the biggest threat

More than 80% surveyed indicated they have acceptable use policies with respect to computers, but at the same time 65% have no staff dedicated to information security. It is excellent that the survey has surfaced the majority of concern directed to employee actions as most companies do not recognize this kind of threat until it has already happened, but at the same time it is also indicates law firms are not prepared to manage the risk effectively.

Internal threats will occur regardless if the employee intentionally planned to steal company confidential data, or if they were careless in the way they handled the information to begin with. This is why it’s important for companies to consider implementing an information security plan and deploy computer monitoring and data loss prevention tools that protect digital assets and greatly minimize information security threats by employees.

Employers today need to recognize that employees can represent their greatest asset, and as such their greatest potential threat. With a business climate that recognizes that employees have access and knowledge of critical data, companies need to find solutions that mitigate the greatest threat to organizations, one being the insider.

InterGuard eliminates information security threats from employees and protects company confidential data by recording/blocking all activity on PC’s and Mac’s on or off the network along with automated reports and alerts sent via email. And with our Data Loss Prevention software, you will be able to view and block sensitive data from leaving via email, web forms and removable media as well as data saved on local drives (even remote laptops). In most businesses, human capital is your most significant cost. While PCs can increase staff productivity, they can also leave companies vulnerable to information security threats which can bring business to its knees.

Worse than an actual information security threat is not knowing the “who, what, where and when. By recording all PC activity, both on or off network, InterGuard helps you maximize employee productivity by ensuring that your resources are focused on work. With ROI in excess of 3000%, you can stay ahead of the competition and eliminate information security threats at the same time!