Majority of Americans Uncertain about Cloud Security

Halon's 2013 Security Survey reveals Americans' overwhelming concerns about Cloud and email security. Halon has announced the results of its 2013 Security Survey.  Halon commissioned the study as a provider of email security solutions built for hosting, cloud, and service providers.  

Conducted online by Harris Interactive surveying 2,084 American adults aged 18+, the survey found that the majority of Americans are wary about cloud and email security. In fact, over three-quarters of Americans (76%) have concerns about storing emails, photos and files in the cloud, while 94% say there are specific triggers within an email that would cause them to doubt the credibility of the sender.

Concerns about storing in the cloud include:

• Losing files (35%)
• Files not stored securely (34%)
• Loss of control (30%)
• Embarrassing files made public (28%)
• Computer viruses (21%)

Surprisingly 25% of Americans say they do not understand what the cloud is, and a number of Americans (13%) think companies that hold files in the cloud cannot be trusted.  Men were statistically more likely than women to worry that someone will access their embarrassing files like emails and photographs (31% vs. 25%), and feel like they do not own music, television shows and movies in the cloud (19% vs. 11%).  

Conversely, more women than men do not understand what the cloud is (32% vs. 18%). Looking at the generation gap, more adults 55+ than millennials (35% vs. 29%) feel a loss of control when handing over files. When addressing concerns that someone can get access to sensitive or embarrassing files, adults younger than 34 were more concerned than their senior counterparts (33% vs. 25%).

A further 79% of Americans say they would never feel comfortable saving any type of file in the cloud, and of those respondents, 84% say there are actions to get them there, including:

• Proof of security (54%)
• Guarantee of security from a trusted company (44%)
• Better understanding of what the cloud is (41%)
• Knowing where files are stored (34%)
• Reassurance from a tech-savvy friend (14%)

Women were statistically more likely than men to say they need a better understanding of the cloud (49% vs. 33%) and reassurance from a friend with technology know-how (17% vs. 10%).