Nearly all companies struggle to secure enterprise data from insider risk, according to the 2022 Annual Data Exposure Report from Code42.

The study, conducted by Vanson Bourne, surveyed 700 U.S. firms and found that cybersecurity teams face unprecedented challenges when it comes to protecting sensitive corporate data from exposure, leak and theft. Identified within the research are three compounding trends increasing the risk to organizations:

1. The continued adoption of cloud technologies and a lack of visibility into them.
2. The impact of the Great Resignation and departing employees’ theft of IP and sensitive data.
3. Ongoing misunderstanding and poor communication between stakeholders at the board, security leadership and security practitioner levels.

In November 2021 alone, a record 4.5 million employees left their jobs, serving as a massive catalyst for data exposure and exfiltration. This level of turnover is causing cybersecurity concerns for 98% of business leaders, cybersecurity leaders and cybersecurity practitioners, who also report a lack of visibility over what and how much sensitive data is leaving their organization.

The study found:

• Seventy-one percent of respondents don’t know what and/or how much sensitive data departing employees take to other companies.
• That same proportion (71%) are concerned about sensitive data being stored outside of corporate storage where security teams lack visibility.
• Forty-three percent of respondents report that improving technology for a remote/hybrid workforce is a top two priority for their company.

For more report insights, click here.