Employees who opt to use external storage devices as searching for information across a company network is a pain, according to Director of UK Businesses Tim Waterton.
For those who came in late, last week IBM banned staff from using external storage devices because it was fed up with viruses and malware being introduced into the company on flash drives.
Tim Waterton, says that in the wake of GDPR and as companies tighten up their control of information management, we could see other firms follow the example set by IBM and ban external storage devices. If this does happen organisations need to have an alternative method for accessing information in place that supports flexible and remote working, is easy to use, but doesn’t compromise on security.
Waterton said: “The move taken by IBM to ban external storage devices, while a bold one, is indicative of broader issues surrounding how employees access information assets when on the move. Security risks when using these devices are widely known – data breaches, document duplication and data losses, are just some examples, but the fact that employees continue to use these devices is a clear indication of the lack of trust which exists towards existing information management systems.
“Companies need to focus heavily on providing the right tools to make flexible and remote working straightforward for everyone, but our research – 90 percent of UK IT decisions stating it’s challenging to find and access information outside of the office – demonstrates the struggles which continue to exist. With GDPR now officially here companies are going to be under even greater pressure to get this right. Because of this organisations should consider how an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution could be used to make the management of information much more efficient.
“Metadata-driven information management solutions allow organisations to simplify how staff access, secure, process and collaborate on documents, across any device and regardless of where that information is stored. Because of this persistent challenges surrounding remote or flexible working, such as needing to be connected to a company network or VPN to access or change documents while offline, are instantly removed.”
Waterton stressed that an effective ECM system can also improve your organisational security: “A competent ECM solution is critical for the IT department in regaining visability and control over where organisation information stored and how it is used. If this is delivered effectively, employees are much less likely to turn to a USB device and other external storage devices, therefore significantly reducing the risk of data breaches.”
