Secure USB Drive

SanDisk Corporation recently introduced the results of a new study illustrating the risks of unsecured USB flash drive usage within enterprise institutions. This survey follows an increasing demand in secure USB flash drives. A survey by SanDisk of both corporate IT managers and corporate end users exposed that IT executives are unaware of the extent to which unsecured USB flash drives are used in the walls of their organizations: 77% of corporate end users were questioned have used personal flash drives for work-related purposes. Corporate IT respondents estimated a mere 35%, less than half of the actual amount. When asked to estimate what percentage of the workforce uses personal flash drives, it was determined that data files on personal flash drives in the workplace include business plans, source code, customer records, and financial data.

Approximately one in ten (12 percent) of company users reported finding a flash drive in a public place. Additionally, when asked to pick the three most likely actions they would take if they found a flash drive in a public place, 55 percent indicated they would view the data. Survey data found the portability of USB flash drives represents a serious risk of data loss.

Spreading the Knowledge on Secure USB Flash Drives Needed

Company workers validated their concerns by reporting that one out of every five have little to no awareness about the risks involved with transporting corporate data on flash drives (21%), exposing a serious potential for data loss. Some 41% of corporate IT managers report they are at least somewhat uncomfortable with the level of USB flash drive usage in their organization, revealing a significant level of potential risk. Moreover, when introduced with the idea of secure USB flash drives, company users provided a very positive response.

About SanDisk’s Secure USB Flash Drive Study

SanDisk’s report on secure USB flash drive usage in the enterprise was a result of phone surveys, conducted in the U.S. in March 2008 by Applied Research-West for SanDisk, of both corporate end users and corporate IT managers. The goal of the surveys was to learn more about flash drive usage in the enterprise, as well as the awareness of potential risks involved with transporting corporate data on personal flash drives.

SanDisk, a global leader in USB flash drives, is driving the convergence of secure portable storage, identity management and virtualization through its Enterprise Division to create a comprehensive solution for mobile professionals in enterprises and government agencies. Today, SanDisk’s Enterprise Division offers solutions for securely storing and managing enterprise data, within and outside the enterprise environment. This includes a variety of secure USB flash drives. With the upcoming introduction of identity and management capabilities, SanDisk expects to allow managers to enhance employee productivity by mobilizing the corporate computing environment through user friendly, secure solutions that also reduce total cost of ownership.