With the proliferation of easily transportable office laptops and other electronic devices used for business, prudent employers will set up strict policies on securing this property as well as the information it contains. However, managers also have to contend with the human element—this week’s Feature from CCH Daily Document Update reports on a recent nationwide survey that finds a significant number of workers may be putting their company or themselves at risk by failing to secure their laptop, sharing passwords or clicking on links from unknown sources.

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For companies concerned about protecting sensitive electronic data, a new survey reveals an alarming set of worker attitudes: employees openly admit they would take company data, including customer data and product plans, when leaving a job. Read more

More than 20 million Americans have multiple Social Security numbers associated with their name in commercial records, according to ID Analytics, Inc., a consumer risk management company. Rather than serving as a unique identifier, more than 40 million SSNs are associated with multiple people, the company says. Read more

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a new tip sheet on employee v. independent contractor, and also warns electronic taxpayers about a phishing scam from fraudsters posing as the IRS.
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The U.S. Small Business Administration has a webpage containing tips for employers on preparing for a hurricane or other disasters, including a hurricane preparedness checklist, and developing a crisis communication plan. Read more

As the threat of devastating cyber attacks across all sectors continues to increase, the vast majority of companies (73 percent) have not purchased network liability policies, according to a Towers Watson survey.

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Increased complexities such as the use of social media and smartphones by employees are keeping network and systems administrators at enterprises busy — although more than half feel sufficiently budgeted and/or staffed to support current information security needs, according to a survey commissioned by VanDyke Software®. Read more

Citing leadership, human resource-related factors, assessment, and communication failures as top factors, The Joint Commission says that health care institutions are confronting steadily increasing rates of crime, including violent crimes such as assault, rape and homicide. Read more

The majority of Bring Your Own Device employees are not properly disposing of or wiping corporate information from personal devices when upgrading to the latest tablets and smartphones, according to a Harris Interactive survey conducted on behalf of mobile device consultant Fiberlink. Read more

Despite having corporate security and compliance policies and solutions in place, there is a widespread lack of confidence in their effectiveness, according to a poll of information technology and business decision-makers across the U.S. and Canada. Read more

Companies venturing into international trade should plan on protecting and enforcing trademarks, copyrights, and patents overseas, and know where they can find help in case their product is pirated, says a blog sponsored by the Small Business Administration. Read more

One in three Americans believes that businesses are not doing enough to protect them from workplace discrimination and identity theft, according to a recent survey from the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Read more