Information security in corporate India is yet to get the level of seriousness required, especially in an environment where removable storage devices are increasing in number, a survey has found.
The survey by Ernst & Young, a consulting firm, says that companies need to do more to improve their information security posture in a globalised business environment.
Speaking to this newspaper on Wednesday, Sunil Chandiramani, national director of the 650-strong risk and business solutions practice at E&Y, said, "The most serious concern about information security is that it is yet to reach the board level of companies."
The survey sought the views of nearly 1,200 senior information security professionals in 48 countries, with 144 respondents from India, representing both multinational and local organisations.
While privacy and personal data protection has become a major information security issue, compliance with regulations, for the second year running, is still the top driver that has most impacted, and will probably continue to impact, information security practices over the next 12 months. "There is emphatic agreement by almost 80 per cent of survey participants that efforts and activities undertaken to achieve regulatory compliance have actually improved companies’ information security," it says. "The survey found that removal media such as USB drives, web applications and wireless networks were the topmost security concerns," Mr Chandiramani said.
Even as the growth in third party outsourcing continues to accelerate, as many as 37 per cent Indian respondents either do not address or have informal procedures for vendor risk management issues.
While 44 per cent respondents said they have formal procedures; 11 per cent have got these validated by an independent agency.At a global level, 36 per cent respondents had formal procedures and six per cent had got these validated.
The survey by Ernst & Young, a consulting firm, says that companies need to do more to improve their information security posture in a globalised business environment.
Speaking to this newspaper on Wednesday, Sunil Chandiramani, national director of the 650-strong risk and business solutions practice at E&Y, said, "The most serious concern about information security is that it is yet to reach the board level of companies."
The survey sought the views of nearly 1,200 senior information security professionals in 48 countries, with 144 respondents from India, representing both multinational and local organisations.
While privacy and personal data protection has become a major information security issue, compliance with regulations, for the second year running, is still the top driver that has most impacted, and will probably continue to impact, information security practices over the next 12 months. "There is emphatic agreement by almost 80 per cent of survey participants that efforts and activities undertaken to achieve regulatory compliance have actually improved companies’ information security," it says. "The survey found that removal media such as USB drives, web applications and wireless networks were the topmost security concerns," Mr Chandiramani said.
Even as the growth in third party outsourcing continues to accelerate, as many as 37 per cent Indian respondents either do not address or have informal procedures for vendor risk management issues.
While 44 per cent respondents said they have formal procedures; 11 per cent have got these validated by an independent agency.At a global level, 36 per cent respondents had formal procedures and six per cent had got these validated.