Business Intelligence Slideshow: Data Thieves Walk Among Us

Many employees have no reservations about stealing electronic assets when they leave a job, according to a survey of more than 3,500 adults in the United States and the United Kingdom. The survey was conducted in June and July 2010 by research firm Harris Interactive on behalf of identity-governance solutions vendor SailPoint. Among those surveyed were 1,594 employees with access to their employer's/client's IT systems. Nearly half of the workers surveyed said they would take some form of company property with them when leaving a position; these workers are more likely to steal e-data than a stapler. In fact, more than a quarter say that they would take customer data, including contact information. The upshot: CIOs have to re-examine the way they balance business risk with the need for access to sensitive data and applications.