Firms admit confidential data at risk

While 98% of Canadian business leaders and decision makers believe it is important for a company to ensure that any sensitive data is protected against improper activity, the facts tell a different story, according to a recent poll of businesses and consumers.

According to the survey, 55% of Canadian companies say that their confidential and private data is at risk of an attack, despite the fact that most consumers (58%) would immediately terminate their relationship with a company that compromised their personal information.

The Fusepoint/Sun Microsystems/Leger Marketing survey also showed that 14% of Canadian consumers believe they have already been a victim of identity theft, with 38% of respondents saying they know someone who has been a victim of identity theft. In addition, 74% of consumers believe that everybody, including those possessing advanced technological know-how, is at equal risk of identity theft.

“With the exponential growth in the volume and sophistication of online threats, executives must heed their customers’ calls to take the necessary steps to protect their data and infrastructure from being compromised,” said Fusepoint President and CEO George Kerns. “This is not a simple business issue. It’s a fundamental matter of trust.”

“Smart enterprises know security and privacy are good for business, and yet many companies in Canada and around the world don’t take this message to heart,” added Andy Canham, president of Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc.

Dr. Clemens Martin, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, asserted that many businesses are operating under a false sense of security. “All too often we see corporate networks become compromised by an ‘igloo effect’ of sorts,” he said. “All it takes is one ill-advised employee to unknowingly compromise a network’s hard outer shell, and all other security measures in place could simply melt away.”

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Previous article
Next article

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now