Fragmented Endpoint Protection Efforts Cost Millions

Protecting corporate data on desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones with unified endpoint data management can save enterprises more than $8,100 (£5,100) per user annually in IT administration and end user overhead, according to a Ponemon Institute, LLC‘s survey, Quantifying the Value of Unified Endpoint Data Management, sponsored by endpoint data management company Druva Software Pvt. Ltd.

That represents a yearly savings of more than $26 million (£16 million) for a company with about 3,000 users.

Businesses that adopt a unified endpoint protection strategy that integrates backup, file sharing, data loss prevention and analytics can achieve significant IT and productivity savings in all four of those areas as well as incremental savings related to consolidating all four functions into a single platform, according to the survey of 649 enterprise level IT professionals.

The unified strategy also helps enterprises address the security risks created by the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement, workforce mobility, and the use of consumer file sharing tools, as well as the compliance requirements of disparate data protection and privacy regulations.

Potential cost savings per user per year
identified by the survey include:

Endpoint backup
$2,613 (£1629) by using an automated backup solution with advanced features including deduplication. Savings stem from eliminating hours of data recovery work by having all backed-up and stored data available to the IT team, near-zero IT maintenance for endpoint backup, bandwidth and storage reduction costs, and end user productivity gains associated with eliminating backup-related work interruptions as well as providing access to backed-up data from mobile devices instead of carrying data on laptops.

Data loss prevention
$686 (£428) by avoiding costs related to the loss or theft of endpoints containing confidential data. With 81% of survey participants reporting this problem with one or more endpoints every year, DLP combats expensive data breaches by providing encryption, geo-tracking and remote data delete capabilities that prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Secure file sharing
$3,119 (£1,945) by replacing consumer-grade file sharing tools such as Dropbox and YouSendIt with a secure enterprise solution integrated into the user ‘s client application. Savings come from end user productivity improvements related to easier file sharing access, plus a reduction in data breaches and associated remediation costs.

Endpoint analytics
$309 (£193) by enabling global search and filtering to find specific files or documents on endpoint devices, including searches required to assist legal and compliance personnel with e-discovery activities. The savings estimate reflects the full content visibility and file sharing audit trail created by integrating endpoint backup and file sharing in a centralized environment, along with the resulting ability to tame the data sprawl created by the rising number of BYOD devices and increased use of consumer file sharing tools.

Four-in-one platform
$1,458 (£909) by integrating endpoint backup, data loss prevention, enterprise-grade file sharing and endpoint analytics rather than utilizing four standalone solutions. IT savings include cost reductions related to installation, maintenance, and elimination of redundant storage for backup and file sharing, while end user savings involve productivity increases enabled by providing backup, mobile data access and file sharing functions from a single client.

"With more than 28% of corporate data residing exclusively on laptops, the proliferation of BYOD devices and the dangers of consumer-grade file sharing, endpoint protection is becoming increasingly critical. The challenge is to do it without adding excessive IT management costs or complexity for end users," said Jaspreet Singh, CEO of Druva. "This survey clearly demonstrates that a unified strategy that merges backup, DLP, file sharing and analytics significantly lowers the total cost of ownership while also streamlining the end user experience."

Druva has over 1,400 customers and protects one million endpoints across 46 countries.

Complete text of the survey (registration needed)