71% of office workers globally – including 68% in the US – admitted to sharing sensitive and business-critical company data using instant messaging (IM) and business collaboration tools, Veritas Technologies research reveals.
The report, which polled 12,500 office workers across ten countries, shows employees are exposing companies to risk by taking data out of the control of businesses that employ them. In the US, 58% of employees are saving their own copies of business information shared over IM, while 51% delete that information entirely. Either approach could leave companies open to significant fines if regulators ask to see a paper trail.
Sensitive data being shared by employees on these channels in the US includes: client information (13%), details on HR issues (10%), contracts (10%), business plans (10%), and even COVID-19 test results (12%). Less than one-third of employees suggested they hadn’t shared anything that could be compromising.
The research also reveals that, while employees are using collaboration tools to close deals, process orders and agree to pay raises, many believe there will be no formal record of the discussion or agreement. In fact, only 56% in the US believe employers are saving this information.
Ajay Bhatia, GM, Digital Compliance at Veritas Technologies, said: “For millions of us, our entire way of work has been reset since the start of 2020. Companies are rushing to bolster their data protection and discovery strategies to include the platforms where their business is actually being done.”
Increased use is compounding issues
The research shows this challenge is compounded by the amount of time employees spend using messaging and collaboration apps: time spent on tools such as Zoom and T ..
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