Data sprawl creating risk for organisations as personal app use in business continues to rise
etskope , a leader in Security Service Edge ( SSE )
N and Zero Trust , has released new research detailing the proliferation of cloud apps used within businesses worldwide . The Netskope Cloud and Threat Report : Cloud Data Sprawl found that cloud app use within organisations continues to rise , as it has already increased 35 % since the beginning of 2022 , with an average company of 500 – 2,000 users uploading , creating , sharing or storing data in 138 different apps and using an average of 1,558 distinct cloud apps each month .
The report found that more than one in five ( 22 %) users upload , create , share or store data in personal apps and personal instances , with Gmail , WhatsApp , Google Drive , Facebook , WeTransfer and LinkedIn ranking as the most popular personal apps and instances .
A personal app , such as WhatsApp , is an app that only sees personal usage from personal accounts . A personal instance is a personal account of an app that is also managed by the organisation . For example , someone ’ s personal Gmail account in an organisation that uses Google Workspaces is a personal instance .
Additionally , highlighting a continued trend in insider risk , the report revealed that one in five users ( 20 %) upload an unusually high amount of data to such personal locations during the 30 days before they leave an organisation , marking an increase of 33 % during the same time period last year .
“ Cloud apps have helped to increase productivity and enable hybrid work , but they have also caused an ever-increasing amount of data sprawl that puts sensitive data at risk ,” said Ray Canzanese , Threat Research Director , Netskope Threat Labs . “ Personal apps and instances are particularly concerning since users maintain access to data stored in those instances even well after they leave an organisation . Proactive security measures – especially policy controls that limit access to sensitive data to only authorised users and devices and prevent sensitive data from being uploaded to personal apps and personal instances – can help reduce the risks of loss or exposure of sensitive data .” u intelligent CLOUD SECURITY www . intelligentciso . com
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