Security of data is utmost requirement for any computer user. A recent survey commissioned by Xerox and McAfee has revealed eye opening information that more than half (54 percent) of employees say they don’t always follow their company’s IT security policies. Moreover, 33 percent aren’t even aware of the policies, leaving the security of customer credit card numbers, financial reports, and HR and tax documents at risk.

According to the survey, 39 percent of employees who copy, scan or print confidential information at work worry at least sometimes whether the information on a networked device will remain secure.

Acknowledging this latest trend, Xerox and McAfee have teamed up to design a security system to help companies protect against threats to this confidential data.  By integrating embedded McAfee software into Xerox technology, the two companies plan to use a white listing method that allows only approved files to run, offering significantly more protection than traditional black listing tactics, where a user has to be aware of and proactively block viruses, spyware and other malicious software.  Additionally, the solution provides an audit trail to track and investigate the time and origin of security events, and take action on them.

Additional survey results found:

•         Half (51 percent) of those employees whose workplace has a printer, copier or MFP say they’ve copied, scanned or printed confidential information at work.

•         About 39 percent people say they are at least sometimes worried about confidential information staying secure, 86 percent say they are at least somewhat worried about personal information, 77 percent say customer data, 77 percent say employee information and 70 percent say proprietary company information.

•         Only 13 percent of employees whose workplace has a printer, copier or MFP say they are prompted to enter a password on the MFP before releasing a job they’ve printed or accessing the ability to copy.

 ITVoir NewsDesk