Oct 05, 2015

Although many employers would like to think they can trust their workers, a new survey showed that many employees simply do not respect the sensitive nature of their company's private information. The study, conducted by cybersecurity and data loss prevention expert  Clearswift, surveyed 500 IT decision makers as well as 4,000 IT employees from around the world.

It found that around 35 percent of employees said they would sell private company data if given the right opportunity to do so. This should be a concerning number for any company that has an online file sharing system set up where employees are given access to sensitive information.

Shocking amount of employee dishonesty
Although a majority of survey responders would not sell company data under any circumstances, having more than a third of your workforce have no qualms with selling information is an unsettling thought to say the least. However, the truly disheartening part of this survey is the payment amount certain employees would take in order to risk their job as well as face legal consequences.

According to the study, just under one-fifth of employees said they would sell company data for $1,550. In fact, about 3 percent of employees would risk prosecution and the potential loss of their jobs by selling company data for just $155.

While 3 percent is certainly a small percentage, it should nonetheless be a frightening statistic for any company that allows its workers to access private company data. Just like any other social structure, a business is only as strong as its weakest link. All it takes for sensitive information to fall into the wrong hands is one employee leaking it, and apparently some will do that for less than $200.

Who knows what?
To be able to complete their jobs effectively, employees need to have ready access to company and customer information. Regardless of the industry, these people simply need to know certain things in order to get their work done. That being said, the amount of information workers have their hands on - coupled with the discussed statistics concerning employee data theft - should make any company leader concerned.

The Clearswift survey found that 61 percent of employee respondents had access to private customer information, while 49 percent stated they had company product information such as patents and planned launches.

This means that a majority of your employees could very easily destroy your customers' trust, and that a near majority could ruin your company's future plans all by selling the information they have access to.

What's to be done?
Although this survey showed that a majority of your employees would never betray your trust under any circumstances, the fact still remains that there will be those employees that do not respect your company or its customers. And if your company has an online file sharing service that does not have certain precautionary measure, you could end up paying the price of disloyalty.

Thankfully, Memeo has developed the Memeo C1 secure file sharing system specifically for situations such as these. Memeo C1's Remote Wipe program allows employers to wipe the devices associated with a certain employee, allowing for ease of mind when a disgruntled employee's tenure must be terminated. Considering every professional industry has a turnover rate of 15.7 percent according to a CompData survey from 2014, this is a service any company with online file storage needs.

Memeo also lets you see which employees have access to certain pieces of data, as well as when that information is accessed and shared, giving your data the security and respect it deserves. Make sure to contact Memeo today and see just how much your file sharing solutions can be improved with Memeo C1!