Survey: managers unaware of IT data access.

• Position: DATA SECURITY - Information technology - Survey

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Years ago, a company's most valuable secrets were locked way in a filing cabinet with only one or two key holders. Today, in most firms, such information is locked in a virtual filing cabinet--and senior managers have no idea how many people have keys.

According to a recent survey, a company's IT staff often has access to the company's secrets, and senior management is often unaware. The survey of 500 U.S. and UK IT professionals revealed that 42% of IT staff can obtain unauthorized access to their organization's most sensitive records, including the bosses' documents. Thirty-nine percent said senior executives have no idea what IT can or cannot access.

Four of five (78%) IT professionals said they could, if they wanted to, leave the office with highly sensitive data, and one-third said they could access the same information even after leaving the company because of lapses in security practices, the survey found.

The survey, commissioned by identity management specialist Lieberman Software, also reveals a strong correlation between job security and the likelihood of stealing sensitive data: employees who fear losing their jobs are far more...