According to a recent survey of 30 CEOs and 183 of their top  executives over a six month period by the Ponemon Institute, CEOs & their top executives seem to be at a disconnect about security measures and risk exposure at their companies. The survey queried 213 senior executives including chief operating officers, division presidents, and chief information officers about their awareness on data security and threat at their companies.

Among the CEOs surveyed, 53 percent responded the chief information officer is accountable for data protection, while only 25 percent of senior executives sided with that opinion. However, nearly 85 percent of executives felt that a failure to prevent security breaches during their tenure would not jeopardize their job.

Who is responsible for security in your organization

[Source: Business Case for Data Protection - Study of CEO and other C-level Executives, Ounce Labs]

Only 3% of the CEOs responded that they perceived cyber crimes to be the the source of greatest risk to their data security, while the majority of CEOs – 31% – believed stolen or lost laptops and data storage devices to be the greatest risk.

[Source: Business Case for Data Protection - Study of CEO and other C-level Executives, Ounce Labs]

The survey also showed a great gap between measures that should be used versus those that are currently used to measure the effectiveness of data protection efforts. Respondents felt asset protection and reputation management measures should be used more.

The effectiveness of data protection efforts

[Source: Business Case for Data Protection - Study of CEO and other C-level Executives, Ounce Labs]

Over all, the survey concluded that C-level executives understand the need for good data protection measures. Even though they might be driven by regulatory and compliance needs, a rising majority understands the need for data protection practices that address reputation protection and customer trust and loyalty. The complete research report can be downloaded from Ounce Labs – the sponsor for the survey.