'Data sprawl' is now your security team's biggest headache - and it's only going to get worse

"Data sprawl across cloud and hybrid environments has now become a leading headache for security professionals, new research shows. A third of UK organizations have seen data volumes grow by 30% or more over the past year, according to Proofpoint's latest Data Security Landscape report. Among enterprises with more than 10,000 employees, 41% manage more than a petabyte of data."

""These are staggering amounts that would have been hard to imagine even a few years ago - and understaffed security teams are struggling to keep up," researchers said. More than half cited cloud and SaaS data sprawl as a top challenge, with 38% saying redundant or obsolete data poses a significant risk. Proofpoint's own platform data reinforces this, showing that 27% of cloud storage is abandoned, consisting of unused data that inflates costs."

"Financial issues related to data sprawl are only one part of the equation, however, with researchers warning that this widens the attack surface and puts enterprises at greater risk. Over the last 12 months, 85% of organizations globally have experienced data loss, with a mean number of 11 incidents. Notably, it's staff that cause most problems, with 66% of organizations attributing their most significant data loss events to careless employees or third-party contractors."

Data volumes are expanding rapidly across cloud and hybrid environments, with a third of UK organizations reporting growth of 30% or more and 41% of very large enterprises holding over a petabyte. Understaffed security teams face rising challenges as cloud and SaaS data sprawl become key issues; 38% identify redundant or obsolete data as a significant risk and 27% of cloud storage is abandoned. Data sprawl widens the attack surface and contributes to frequent losses: 85% of organizations experienced data loss in the past year, averaging 11 incidents, often caused by careless employees, third-party contractors, compromised users, or malicious insiders. Generative AI also raises concerns about data leakage and training on sensitive information.

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