UK companies struggle to control data in the cloud, survey says

 

British businesses are struggling to establish control over employees' use of public cloud services, potentially putting their information at risk of loss or compromise.
This is according to Connected Data, which published the results of a survey of 100 UK companies today (March 2nd).
It found that while nine out of ten IT decision-makers (90 per cent) feel that the unsanctioned sharing of sensitive information via the cloud represents a serious security risk for their organisation, fewer than two-thirds (64 per cent) have systems in place to track and control this phenomenon.
Moreover, while one in three respondents (33 per cent) had banned their staff from using public cloud services like Dropbox and Box, the majority (58 per cent) of those admitted to not knowing whether or not this rule was actually obeyed.
Commenting on the results of the survey, Connected Data noted that IT decision-makers in the UK are savvy to the risks involved in the use of public cloud services. However, it described their efforts to reverse the trend to date as a "losing battle".
According to the survey, more than one in ten businesses (13 per cent) have lost sensitive information as a result of cloud use. In addition, almost one in five (19 per cent) cannot be sure whether this has happened or not.