Nasuni (www.nasuni.com), a provider of enterprise storage to large, distributed organizations, has released its “Special Report on Shadow IT in the Workplace,” which reveals that large numbers of employees use Dropbox and other consumer file sharing services for sensitive work-related data, even if they know that their employer has a specific policy banning the use of such services.
Nearly one-half of employees who know company doesn’t allow use of file sharing services use them anyway. According to the folks at Nasuni, businesses rely on corporate IT teams to manage secure protection and controlled access to critical data. When employees use consumer-grade file sharing services for work files, they override the systems in place and usurp the responsibility of IT. As the flood of consumer mobile devices entering the workplace rises, the risk of data loss and exposure is growing.
Nasuni surveyed more than 1,300 corporate IT users to investigate the use of consumer file sharing services and their connection with the rise of BYOD. Some of the findings include:
° One in five employees uses Dropbox for work files;
° When IT has a policy against using file sharing at work, half of employees use these services even though they are aware that their employer has a policy against it;
° Corporate leaders are the worst culprits. VPs and directors are most likely to use Dropbox despite the risks;
° Three in five (58%) of employees with a personal smart phone or tablet access work files from that device; and
° Before the end of January 2013, the number personal devices in the workplace will increase by 25%.
