Lack of Remote and Hybrid Work Policies Put Education Industry at Risk for IT Security Issues

The leading manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB drives, Apricorn, has announced various findings for the education sector from the Apricorn Global IT Security Survey, 2021. The survey says the education industry lacks concern about security threats from employees and, due to limited IT security policies related to remote work, has a greater risk for cybersecurity breaches and data loss than other industries. For example, 69.4% of respondents say, as targets that attackers can use to access data, employees at their organizations don't think of themselves,  compared to 37.5% in information technology (IT).

The survey was to compare cybersecurity policies of various industries about hybrid and remote work. More than 400 respondents completed the survey. Unfortunately, the education industry constantly lags behind many other healthcare, manufacturing, IT, and financial services when executing lost/stolen devices and data security policies. Remarkably, compared to 55% in IT, only 26% of respondents in the education industry agreed that they have policies regarding lost/stolen devices.

Many education institutions, in the Fall, will be returning to in-person instruction; however,  in the education sector, most survey respondents (90.77%) said a hybrid work option exists. Organizations in education demonstrated a trend of allowing employee choice when it comes to policy adherence when asked about policies and procedures that have been put in place regarding transporting data and devices. Compared to an average of 52% for other top industries, only 20% of education organizations require encrypted hardware. More than half of EDUCATION organizations permit the use of personal USB devices.

About Apricorn

Founded in 1983, Apricorn is a leading provider of secure storage innovations to prominent companies in education, healthcare, finance, and government throughout North America, EMEA, and Canada. Apricorn products have become the trusted standard for a myriad of data security strategies worldwide. Under the Apricorn brand, numerous award-winning products and patents have been developed.