CData Software, a provider of data connectivity solutions, recently released its research report, "Data Connectivity: The Missing Link for IT," which provides insights into the current state of data connectivity among organizations.

The survey of 550 data and analytics professionals across operations and IT in organizations with more than 200 employees, found that increasing data requests overwhelm IT teams, but security concerns hinder their ability to provide employees with access to timely data.

A majority of business decision-makers on the operational side of an organization feel that they are prohibited from accessing the data they need to make quick business decisions. On the other hand, IT professionals charged with the responsibility of protecting an organization's systems must sometimes restrict access to certain data sources because of security concerns.

The report found that 68 percent of IT workers feel overwhelmed by the number of technical resources that are required to access the data they need to work. Moreover, 25 percent of enterprise organizations use more than 100 different applications and systems to manage their operations.

The report also found that a substantial percentage of respondents (41 percent) indicated that they spend up to 60 percent of their workweek responding to data requests from colleagues or teams yet are still unable to deliver data fast enough to match the speed of modern business.

Security poses significant obstacles to connectivity, often keeping essential data out of the hands of those who need it most. Indeed, the top three challenges preventing IT employees at organizations from most effectively providing other teams with relevant data include security controls around data (61 percent), limited access to operational data itself (47 percent), and challenges to data sharing (46 percent).

Finally, many decision-makers readily admit to overlooking crucial data due to accessibility issues. Sixty-eight percent of respondents acknowledged disregarding data inputs, with the primary reason being the inability to access information promptly (49 percent). "Survey: 68 Percent of IT Workers Feel Overwhelmed by Data Access Restrictions" www.securitytoday.com (Jan. 22, 2024)

Commentary

The tension between easy access to data and good security underscores the idea that cybersecurity is not only an IT problem but also a problem for leadership at the board or C-suite level.

One approach to this dilemma is for organizations to undertake a data mapping exercise in which they identify their "crown jewels" such as sensitive corporate information and any personal information on their servers, and then implement appropriate safeguards such as encrypting, restricting access, or password-protecting more sensitive information.

Not every employee or user needs complete access to all data at all times. The level of security must match the level of need.

Make sure your policies reflect your choices and that employees are aware of the efforts to find a balance.