44% of companies don’t have a cloud app policy in place
After interviewing 120 RSA Conference attendees, Netskope announced the results of the survey on information security professionals’ use of cloud apps.
Netskope found that despite widespread adoption of cloud apps in the enterprise, most IT security professionals are either unaware of their company’s cloud app policy or don’t have one. In the absence of cloud app policies, more than two-thirds of attendees surveyed said they would consider their company’s privacy policy before downloading an app.
As cloud apps proliferate in the enterprise, the security and privacy risks associated with use of these apps at work is on the rise. According to the recent Netskope Cloud Report, the typical enterprise is using 397 apps, or as much as 10 times the number that IT typically has within its purview. Furthermore, 77 percent of cloud apps are not enterprise-ready, leaving IT with the challenge of securing these apps and putting policies in place to guide their use.
The survey – which provides a snapshot of user and corporate practices among a sample of RSA attendees – offered up these conclusions:
Policies lag despite growing cloud app adoption in the enterprise
Although enterprises have more cloud apps in use by employees than ever before, 44 percent of those surveyed said their company doesn’t have a cloud app policy in place. Furthermore, 17 percent of employees are unaware if their company has a policy.
Employees want to consider company policy before using a cloud app
Despite the rise of unsanctioned cloud apps in the enterprise, also called “Shadow IT,” the majority of respondents take into consideration their company privacy policy before signing up for a cloud app account. Seventy percent of those surveyed said they consider the rules before browsing or hitting the app store, which is good news for companies that have policies in place.
Storage and consumer apps are perceived as IT no-no’s
When asked about the top apps they do not want IT to know about, respondents said that storage and consumer apps are top of mind. The top three apps they want to keep off IT’s radar are:
1. Dropbox (Storage)
2. Twitter (Consumer)
3. Facebook (Consumer)
“It’s not surprising to see that although cloud app usage has caught on in the enterprise, the majority of companies are behind on establishing clear policies and guidelines, and as a result employees are in the dark about the implications of their app usage,” said Sanjay Beri, founder and CEO, Netskope. “With the amazing benefits that cloud apps bring, enterprises also shoulder significant risks that can no longer be ignored. We expect to see cloud app analytics and policy implementation become a top priority in the coming months as businesses look to optimize their usage of cloud apps with an eye on both agility and security.”
