32 Of Organizations Reportedly Have Information Leaks But 60 Are Completely Unaware Of How Many Incidents May Be Occurring



Thru, the global leader in critical messaging solutions, today announced the findings of its Annual Information Management and Intellectual Property Benchmark Study. The survey polled 55 corporate professionals to gauge how organizations are sharing sensitive information and the level of importance they place on implementing processes to manage, monitor and protect it. Significant findings indicated:

- Organizations are widely sharing intellectual property electronically, yet 37% considered electronic communication to be unsafe.

- 32% of respondents admitted to being aware of information leaks that have occurred at their companies, however, 60% are completely unaware of how many unreported incidents may be occurring.

- Email usage was much lower when information was shared internally, with devices and line of business applications accounting for much of the sharing. On the other hand, email usage was significantly higher when information needed to be shared externally.

- 69% are still using file shares to store sensitive information and 62% cite access control as a major challenge with sharing information electronically.

- Monitoring the use of USB, CD/DVD and instant messaging is still occurring less than email and FTP.

- Achieving compliance, improving corporate governance and reducing risk were top of mind.

To download a copy of the complete report, visit www.thruinc.com/benchmark.

"These perspectives are worrisome, particularly for organizations with similar demographics as our survey respondents, including firms doing business in manufacturing, architectural, engineering, construction, healthcare, retail and publishing industries," says Lee Harrison, CEO of Thru. "Other studies show how organizations that fail to monitor electronic sharing of sensitive information and enforce policies defining acceptable use are susceptible to lost competitive advantage, customers, sales and profitability."

Information sprawl is prevalent in most organizations and many business professionals rely on tools like email, FTP and instant messaging to communicate electronically. However, the research findings show that these practices are not considered safe and appropriate for sharing sensitive information. The risks of data loss or information being leaked are high, yet organizations are struggling to find a way to address the risks without slowing down business processes or making them more complex. On average, respondent organizations were monitoring electronic communication methods less than they are sharing proprietary content, such as contracts, product plans, engineering files, design documents, process documentation, project materials, manufacturing documents, source code, customer information, clinical data and legal records.

Thru developed Critical Message Governance (CMG) as a best practice framework for helping organizations share, protect and manage information base on its value. Organizations practicing CMG can achieve a greater level of maturity in information risk management, security and access control, often producing results that easily can justify further improvement in other areas of information delivery and management. Furthermore, Thru's software products and the Thru Secure Communication Network (SCN), a software-as-a-service offering for secure messaging, large file transfer and content archiving, help IT managers and their business colleagues improve collaboration with an easier approach to secure electronic communication.

About Thru

Thru is a global leader in delivering critical messaging solutions, with secure messaging, large file transfer and content archiving woven together in an integrated platform that is efficient, easy to use and simple to manage. Thru offers the Thru Secure Communication Network (SCN) brand of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and an on-premise option. Thru helps firms worldwide in many industries, including architecture, construction, engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals realize increased productivity, reduced information risk, optimized IT infrastructure and accelerated compliance. Founded in 2002, Thru uses a best practices approach to information delivery and management called Critical Message Governance (CMG), driving better visibility and centralized control of proprietary and sensitive data across network boundaries.

To download a copy of the complete report, visit www.thruinc.com/benchmark. To learn more about CMG, visit www.thruinc.com/cmg. For other information, visit Thru online at www.thruinc.com.





32 Of Organizations Reportedly Have Information Leaks But 60 Are Completely Unaware Of How Many Incidents May Be Occurring