December 3, 2001—An independent study of 230 IT professionals at medium and large-sized companies has found that the value of lost or stolen computers is often grossly underestimated by as much as 1,500 percent. The study also found that, while nearly every company has established computer security procedures, a lack of individual employee accountability often negates the effectiveness of those measures.
In one of the key sections of the study, respondents were asked to provide a cost estimate associated with the loss of a laptop computer. Respondents were reminded to take into account all aspects of costs involved—including lost productivity, lost revenue, lost data, the procurement of new hardware, and the replacement of critical data. Estimates came in at $10,500. However, the loss estimates indicated in the CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey (Spring 2001) found that companies self reported losses from stolen computerscan run as high as $60,000. The vast majority of the 230 respondents indicated that they employ a mix of safeguards, including antivirus software, firewalls, and passwords to protect their company networks. However, the majority of respondents expressed frustration that many of the security measures they implement are less than optimally effective because employees aren’t held accountable for following company-wide standards and procedure.
Employee accountability surfaced as the No. 1 barrier to executing effective computer security measures. More than 80 percent of respondents indicated that physical security measures such as computer cable locks are an effective deterrent to theft. However, only 32 percent of those surveyed actually deploy physical security safeguards. The study was commissioned by Kensington Technology Group and conducted Socratic Technologies. Further details of the study are available from Kensington by contacting Corey Carrillo at 650/572-2700, ext. 3335. More about computer security and the actual cost associated with the loss of laptops and corporate data can be found at MicroSaver.com.
