HR, ICT - Careless Cloud Users Vex Employers

Workers using cloud-based apps such as Google Docs or Dropbox "display reckless technology habits that put their employers at risk", according to a recent study of the new way of doing business.

Back in 2014 - when most organizations were still on the fence about the cloud - Canadian IT giant Softchoice commissioned a study that discovered North American workers really weren't taking cyber security all that seriously.  Two years later, and the company has found that hasn't changed too much, and workers displayed markedly more reckless technology habits and were more likely to put their employers’ networks and corporate data at risk.

For example, one in five workers:  Failed to secure their passwords, with some actually writing them on Post-it Notes displayed on their desks;  Accessed work files from a device that was not password-protected;  Have lost devices that weren't password-protected.

"Employees display a wide range of bad habits, from lax password security to rogue IT behavior.  If something doesn't change, organizations will be placed in an extremely vulnerable position," said Softchoice CEO David MacDonald in a news release.  "Risky behavior and data vulnerabilities are almost guaranteed to persist if organizations don't provide training and direction on cyber security best practices for the apps, platforms and IT tools employees use on a daily basis."

Some employees were downloading unapproved cloud apps without IT's knowledge, with millennials more likely to do so than their more experienced mates in the Baby Boom generation.  And 58 percent of full-time employees cite having not been told the right way to download and use cloud apps.  Again: Training.

MacDonald added, "By allocating time and resources for ongoing training and communication about cloud best practices, organizations can make a difference in their employees' habits."