Here’s a question to make you pause: Do you know exactly who in your business can access your critical data right now?
And more importantly – do they actually need that access to do their job?
If you’re like most business owners, you probably assume that access gets sorted during setup and that’s the end of it. But new research says otherwise.
It turns out that around half of employees in businesses have access to far more data than they should.
Which is a big problem.
Not just because of the risk of someone doing something malicious – but because mistakes happen. When people can see things they don’t need, it opens the door to accidents, breaches, and compliance headaches.
This is what’s known as insider risk.
It simply means the risk that comes from people inside your business – whether they’re employees, contractors, or anyone else with access to your systems.
Sometimes insider risk is deliberate, like when someone steals data.
But far more often, it’s unintentional.
Someone clicks on the wrong link, shares a file with the wrong person, or keeps hold of access after leaving the business. And that’s when trouble starts.
One of the biggest issues behind insider risk is what’s called privilege creep.
That’s when people gradually build up more access than they really need – maybe because they change roles, get added to new systems, or no one reviews their permissions regularly.
The research shows that only a small percentage of businesses are managing this properly. Which means huge amounts of data are being left exposed.
Even more concerning, nearly half of businesses admit that former staff still have access to systems months after leaving. That’s like leaving the keys to your office in the hands of someone who no longer works for you.
The solution is simple in theory – make sure your people can only access what they need, and nothing more.
This is known as the principle of least privilege. It means setting up systems so that permissions are restricted to what’s essential, and access is only granted temporarily when required (often called “just in time” access).
Just as important, when someone leaves the business, their access must be removed immediately.
With cloud platforms, AI tools, and what’s often called “invisible IT” (apps used without IT approval), managing access is becoming more complex. But it’s also more critical than ever.
Being proactive makes all the difference.
Review permissions regularly
Tighten access controls
Use automation tools to detect and remove unused access
Audit access after offboarding
This isn’t about slowing your team down – it’s about protecting your business, your customers, and your reputation.
Every user account is a potential gateway. The fewer keys you hand out, the fewer risks you face.
Now’s the time to review who has access to what and put better controls in place before it becomes a problem.
If you’d like help reviewing your access controls or tightening security across your systems, get in touch.
My team and I can help you identify risks and put safeguards in place that keep your business safe – without slowing down productivity.
