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Archive for the ‘Data Security’ Category

2011 Data Breach Rewind

Thursday, December 29th, 2011

361 million >> 144 million >> 4 million that’s the total number of records compromised each year from 2008 – 2010 as a result of data breaches, according to a joint Verizon and United States Secret Service report. After years of increasing losses climaxing in 2008 with a record-setting 361 million records compromised, it was not clear if the 2009 drop to 144 million was an aberration or a sign of things to come. The 2010 total of four million compromised records seems to suggest it was a sign. But of what? And is it a lasting change or a temporary deviation?

Unfortunately, a new report from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse notes 535 data breaches during 2011, involving 30.4 million compromised records. That’s up from 2011, and it’s just a conservative estimate, since not all data breaches see the light of day. “Because many states do not require companies to report data breaches to a central clearinghouse, data breaches occur that we never hear about,” said PRC director Beth Givens in the report.

In 2011 millions of people were affected by serious data breaches at major corporations and organizations like: Epsilon, Alliance Data Systems, Sony PlayStation, WordPress.com, University of South Carolina, and Tripadvisor/Expedia. These breaches of sensitive information reinforce the need for enterprise-class, secure content delivery solutions at organizations of all of sizes, regardless of industry.

Our New Year’s wish for every enterprise organization is a year free of data breaches. Of course to make this wish come true we encourage everyone to eliminate unsecure file sharing as a source of data breaches. Make implementing Accellion file sharing part of your New Year’s resolution.

Schwartz, M. J. (2011, December 28). 6 worst data breaches of 2011. Retrieved from http://informationweek.com/news/security/attacks/232301079

Verizon. (2011, May 05). 2011 verizon data breach investigations report. Retrieved from http://www.verizonbusiness.com/Products/security/dbir/

Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, Accellion, Data Breach, Epsilon, New Year's, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, records compromised, Sony Playstation, United States Secret Service, Verizon
Posted in Accellion, Data Breach, Data Security, Mobile | No Comments »

Deck your iPad with Accellion for the Holidays

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

At this point I don’t think Charles Dickens’s character Ebenezer Scrooge would say “Bah, humbug!” to an iPad for the holidays. A recent Nielsen survey shows that our appetite for Apple devices is growing – with the iPad leading the pack. Twenty-four percent of adult consumers want an iPad this holiday season. That’s up six percent from last year. With demand so high this year Apple is sure to break its record of 6.35 millioniPads sold last holiday season.

With many of these new holiday iPads destined for dual usage, both personal and business, the Accellion team has been working overtime on the latest version of Accellion Secure Mobile App for iOS. Now available for download, just in time for the holidays, the new Accellion Mobile App version (2.1) is a universal app for iPhone and iPad. My favorite new feature – the cool split screen view for the iPad – but check out all the great features for securely accessing business information on the go including:

• Encrypted mobile access to files
• Securely view, share, and send files on-the-go
• Download, save, edit, and upload files from the mobile device safely and securely
• Add comments on files to collaborate with colleagues
• Subscribe to notifications to receive real-time file and workspace updates

Download the app here to experience the new features, today.

As always, we love your feedback so leave us your thoughts below on the updated app!

Elmer-Dewitt, P. (2010, December 30). Retrieved from http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/12/30/how-big-was-apples-ipad-christmas/

Nielson wire blog. (2011, November 17). Retrieved from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/us-kids-looking-forward-to-iholiday-2011/

Posted in Accellion, Collaboration, Data Security, Mobile | No Comments »

Your iPad Is Not Your iPhone: Get Secure

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Over the past year, we’ve seen the iPad become more prevalent in the corporate world – and why not? Its portability is ideal for employees on the go and users are able to blend work and personal use on a single device. Yet, it’s these two benefits that have introduced new security concerns for IT, with the iPad often treated more like a grown up iPhone than a corporate computer.

Of course, the laid back attitude towards iPad security is understandable. Tablet adoption has been predominantly driven by consumer usage, with public Wi-Fi and cloud computing making it simple to upload and download files and applications at will – whether Angry Birds, grocery coupons or the latest corporate PowerPoint. But, the freedom of anytime, anywhere access, combined with the increased volume of corporate data being shared via iPads, has blurred the lines between corporate access and casual entertainment.

Yet, the harsh reality is that malicious apps and malware are the number one security threat to tablet computers, followed by public Wi-Fi eavesdropping. Phishing attacks are phishing attacks, whether your users are on a PC or an iPad, and enterprises need to implement the same strong security measures regardless of the device.

So, what’s an IT group to do?

Individuals should be able to send, share, and access files and applications, while you ensure they’re protected from malicious content. Accellion Secure Mobile Apps is one viable option – providing around-the-clock secure access to files to a range of mobile devices, plus encrypting documents for future, offline use. Plus, if the device is ever lost or stolen, administrators can easily block access remotely and reset credentials.

Let’s face it: your employees were likely attracted to the iPad because it makes their life easier – and maybe a little more fun. So, the key is to boost security while enabling employees to work and interact exactly as they do today. The discussion on tablet security is far from over, so look for more insight on our blog.

Tags: Cloud Computing, iPad, iPhone, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Phishing, security
Posted in Accellion, Data Security, Product | 1 Comment »

Evolving Mobile Data Security Risk

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

In 2010, Oracle surveyed more than 3,000 people from around the globe to discover how people communicate. The overwhelming response was mobile, mobile, mobile. In 2011, Oracle conducted a second survey calling it The Future of Mobile Communications-Take Two. This upgraded report delivered interesting results about mobile phone usage and the perceptions of mobile devices.

I don’t think we have to discuss the “bring your own device” (BYOD) trend or the fact that employees are using mobile devices to share files & access business applications. The lightning fast proliferation of data hungry users is the thing that organizations and IT managers are trying to manage. The respondents of Oracle’s 2011Future of Mobile Communications-Take Two report confirm that these trends are permanent. That’s bad news for our telephone booth frequenting super hero.

How data hungry were the users from the survey? Over the past year alone, mobile data usage increased 47%. Even more remarkable is the fact that 55% of those surveyed reported having downloaded a mobile app, up significantly from 42% in 2010. The most dangerous threats posed by downloaded mobile apps are well-documented in Veracode’s Mobile app top 10 list. Even more notable was the fact that 25% of mobile web users are mobile only.

When respondents were asked if they think that information stored or transmitted with a mobile device is secure, the results were disproportionate. Thirty-two percent of those asked thought their information was secure. Sixty-eight percent said that they didn’t think the information stored or transmitted with a mobile device was secure.

People can be their own worst enemy when it comes to security. Ten percent of all iPhone users have 0000 or 1234 as a device password. The fact that there are mobile data security programs available and not being used is indefensible.

For all these reasons, mobile devices are the most popular target for data theft. In several upcoming blog posts we will discuss some Dos and Don’ts of mobile device security and take a closer look at mobile security compliance.

Nagar, M. (Designer). (2011). Introduction and evolution. [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://www.bluegenietech.com/blog/tag/history-of-mobiles/

Tags: Bring your Own Device, BYOD, Communications, Mobile
Posted in Accellion, Cloud, Data Breach, Data Security, Mobile | No Comments »

Data breaches put the scare back in Halloween!

Monday, October 31st, 2011

For most people outside the IT profession, the scariest thing they deal with on Halloween is a spooky costume or the newest episode of AMC’s ghastly drama “The Walking Dead.” For IT professionals, a data breach is far worse. With the frequency and cost of data breaches on the rise, it’s easy to see why the topic worries IT professionals. In its fifth annual TITLE survey the Ponemon Institute showed a significant spike in legal defense spending to address fears of successful class actions resulting from customer, consumer or employee data loss. In fact, the total cost per data breach incident now exceeds six million dollars.

If that’s not enough to chill IT and security professionals, another report commissioned by Websense surveyed 100 IT managers around the world about the latest threats to corporate security. The IT managers surveyed went on to say that data loss incidents put their jobs on the line, and that managing the stress of a company data breach is more taxing than divorce, managing personal debt, or a minor car accident.

There were 561 data breaches in 2010 and 589 data breaches to date this year. To avoid the stress of a data breach, IT professionals are employing robust security strategies to ease their worries.

We do our part to help Accellion’s customers and their business users protect data while sharing files with external and internal users.

As for the haunts of Halloween… there is nothing that can help the chills and thrills.

Tags: Data Breach, Halloween, IT
Posted in Accellion, Data Breach, Data Security | No Comments »

The Mobile Offensive! BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

Mobile employees have been worrying IT managers for years. It all started with pagers, PDAs, and the first cellular phones. Now iPads, smartphones, and a slew of other Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices are on track to outnumber desktop computers. The local area network (LAN) that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, computer lab, or office building is fading fast. Most enterprise networks are moving to wireless as the primary way to connect. In the same way that video killed the radio star; Wi-Fi enabled devices and the BYOD trend are killing the LAN. Mobile devices that were restricted by IT managers are now considered indispensible for everyday operations.

Do you think the BYOD trend is not real, or a fad? According to ZDNET, about 75% of enterprises now have a “bring your own device” policy in place. That’s nearly three-quarters of companies surveyed—so yeah BYOD is for real.

A quarter of organizations give employees a whitelist of allowed devices, while almost half let employees bring in and use any device.

Bring Your Own Device? It’s real. Nearly three-quarters of companies allow employee-owned smartphones and/or tablets to be used at work, according to Aberdeen data (mix of late 2010 and 2011 surveys). A quarter give employees a whitelist of allowed devices, while almost half let employees bring in and use any device.

Here are four trends that motivate companies to try BYOD:

Employee gratification: device lust is no longer just for tech geeks. Employees love BYOD at work. Allowing BYOD can be a real motivational tool. Employees, particularly younger, on-the-move employees, see the brand of a laptop or smartphone as a lifestyle choice and an important part of who they are. Of course Apple is at the epicenter of this movement.

Tech developments: the days of compatibility problems and sharing issues from Mac to Windows are ancient history. A few anti-trust lawsuits got everyone’s attention and a solution was found. The compatibility problems were one thing. In the past the size, weight, and cost of computers made mobile computing an oxymoron. In 1983 BYOD would not have been possible. This 29 pound BASF 7000 computer would have been nearly impossible to bring to work. Today’s shinny mobile devices are easy to transport and don’t weight a ton.

Telecommuting and mobile workers: some of the same technical developments listed above enable more and more workers to work from home, remotely, or on-the-go. Other technical developments like secure file transfer and secure collaboration allow external employees to be productive and secure.

Cost: back in the good old days a computer like the BASF 7000 would have hurt your back and strained your IT budget. At $2800 ($6000 at today’s dollar) this beast of burden cost an arm and a leg. Just think about that next time your fingers are deftly gliding across your light weight tablet or smartphone. With the cost of laptops and tablets around $500 the cost factor, like the BASF 7000, is a thing of the past.

At Accellion we see the BYOD trend as a shift in the increasing demand for mobile access to file sharing. If you haven’t already tried out the Accellion mobile apps here is the link.

Aberdeen 2011 Wireless Expense Management: Control International Roaming and the BYOD Revolution. The multimedia content can be viewed at: http://www.aberdeen.com/aberdeen-library/7240/RA-wireless-expense-management.aspx

Lai, E. (2011). 75% of enterprises have ‘bring your own device’ policies. what that means. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/sybase/75-of-enterprises-have-bring-your-own-device-policies-what-that-means-charts/1025

The Buggles. (1979). Video killed the radio star [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwuy4hHO3YQ

Tags: Aberdeen, Accellion, APP, Apple, BASF 7000, BYOD, Collaboration, iPad, LAN, Mobile, secure, Wi-Fi, ZDNet
Posted in Accellion, Automation, Collaboration, Data Security, Mobile | 1 Comment »

Accellion and MobileIron Announce Partnership

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Most IT organizations have minimal visibility into what’s on an employee’s phone and how it’s being used, and even less control or insight into information being accessed and shared.

MobileIronand Accellion announced a partnership today to provide our customers with secure mobile device and content management. Together, MobileIron and Accellion help an IT organization to regain control over mobile devices and how employees collaborate and share information from them.

As part of the partnership, Accellion will be one of only seven applications chosen to participate in MobileIron’s AppConnect program. The goal of AppConnect is to secure MobileIron-developed apps as well as third-party apps on the App Store, Android Market and other mobile app services.

The benefit of the Accellion and MobileIron partnership was summed up by Jason Otani, Director, IT Infrastructure, Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a mutual customer:

Using Accellion Secure Collaboration’s native mobile apps, our teams really appreciate being able to securely collaborate on contracts and engineering plans with internal and external business partners. MobileIron’s ability to wipe the device clean remotely any time a device is lost or stolen adds another level of security protection against a possible data breach.

For the most up-to-date news and information about this partnership, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Tags: Accellion, APP, APP store, IT, Mobile Iron
Posted in Accellion, Collaboration, Data Breach, Data Security, Government, Healthcare, Mobile, Product, Virtualization | No Comments »

Catering to the Sophisticated User: Make that a “babe-a-ccino”

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

It was only a matter of time before someone figured out how to tap into the toddler market with a specialty mock coffee drink aptly called the “babe-a-ccino.” Yes, no kidding, there is the photo in the WSJ this morning of a young man, clutching his morsel of croissant, or is it a chai lavendar biscuit, with his “babe-a-ccino.” Invitingly presented in a classic espresso cup, the “babe-a-ccino” seems to consist of frothy milk, a sprinkle of cocoa, and only the suggestion of coffee.

Jack, age 2, drinks a babe-a-ccino at the Seesaw cafe in San Francisco – WSJ

So what exactly does this have to do with business users and software? Well it’s an interesting example of understanding your audience and catering to their wants and needs. For the under five year old crowd it tends to be 99% about wants, and depending on the business user it may be the same. In the case of the “babe-a-ccino” the toddler wants what Mommy or Daddy has, however what they need is a big glass of milk. Enter the “babe-a-ccino” an excellent compromise between what toddler wants – cute cup, frothy milk and a teaspoon to play with – and what they need which is a decent serving of milk.

Let’s face it, today’s business users are sophisticated in their wants and needs. With easy access to free software they are pushing the envelope on the types of solutions they are bringing into the workplace. What they want is easy access to information, from any device, easy file sharing with colleagues and outside partners and easy collaboration. What they also need is security and tracking so they stay out of trouble.

It’s hard being a parent but someone has to do it. Sorry kid. No, you can’t have a coffee drink. Not least because I don’t want to deal with you when you are bouncing off the walls later from the caffeine. Similarly, for the business user: sorry, but no, you cannot use Dropbox for sharing confidential work information. Not least because no one has a record of what you are doing, and I don’t want to lose my job because of a data breach. Now comes the big pout.

Enter the “babe-a-ccino.” Now everyone’s happy. Kid gets what they want, Mom and Dad are happy too. Consider Accellion the “babe-a-ccino” of file sharing. It gives the business user what they want, while giving IT/Security teams what they need. Everyone’s happy.

I’ll take my “babe-a-ccino” to go, thanks.

Posted in Accellion, Collaboration, Data Security, Product | No Comments »

What’s next? Constant Reinvention.

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

What’s next? I was inspired to consider this question today after reading John D. Halamka’s blog entry on Life as a Heathcare CIO.

If you’re not familiar with his work, John Halamka is, an MD, MS, and is Chief Information Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Chief Information Officer at Harvard Medical School, Chairman of the New England Healthcare Exchange Network (NEHEN), Co-Chair of the HIT Standards Committee, a full Professor at Harvard Medical School, and a practicing Emergency Physician. He is also a long time Accellion customer and has implemented Accellion’s secure file sharing at both BIDMC and Harvard Medical School. You can read more about his implementation of Accellion in this eWeek article.

Given the scope of his career, it seems like he must ask himself the “What’s Next?” question a lot. On his blog he answers it. What’s next? Constant Reinvention. He recently announced he is going to step down as CIO of Harvard Medical School, help them find a fulltime replacement for the role and embrace the next reinvention of his career. About the next phase of his career he states:

It’s July of 2011… and I feel powerful forces are aligning to create a quantum leap forward in electronic health records and health information exchange technology.

We think he’s right. Healthcare organizations are struggling with the growing use of mobile devices and unmanaged Dropbox-type of solutions in their enterprise and need to secure, manage and audit the mobile sharing of electronic health records, research and other Protected Health Information (PHI). They know this problem puts the organization at risk for non-compliance with HIPAA and Hitech. The organization could also run the risk of a serious data breach, making news headlines, and incurring hefty regulatory fines.

Accellion’s healthcare customers tend to be more savvy than most and care about offering their staff easy to use file sharing and collaboration applications while still securing and managing sensitive patient and research data.

Accellion is constantly introducing new products and features, and the market continues to have new problems to solve – unmanaged Dropbox-type of solutions in the enterprise, proliferation of new mobile devices. Asking “What’s Next?” helps us all to thrive and innovate.

So, thanks John for providing today’s inspiration and we wish you luck for your next reinvention.

Posted in Accellion, Collaboration, Data Breach, Data Security, Healthcare, HIPAA, Mobile | No Comments »

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