71% of Employees Globally Admit to Sharing Sensitive and Business-Critical Data Using Instant Messaging and Business Collaboration Tools, According to New Research from Veritas

▤ Summary

Sensitive data being shared by employees on these channels in the US includes: client information (13%), details on HR issues (10%), contracts (10%), business plans (10%), and even COVID-19 test results (12%). The research also reveals that, while employees are using collaboration tools to close deals, process orders and agree to pay raises, many believe there will be no formal record of the discussion or agreement. Ajay Bhatia, GM, Digital Compliance at Veritas Technologies, said: “For millions of us, our entire way of work has been reset since the start of 2020. Instead, our message is simple: dont fight it - fix it.” IM trusted nearly as much as e-mail When asked which methods of communication provide the most reliable proof an agreement is binding, responses didn’t appear to be based on the businesses’ ability to capture the discussion as evidence: • In the US, e-mail is viewed as reliable affirmation of an agreement by 96%, followed by electronic signature at 95%. If they dont, the implications could be huge.” The research also uncovered some interesting patterns that emerge from country-to-country comparisons: • 34% of workers globally would accept an order over an instant messaging app and start processing it.

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Cohesity

$500M to $1B