Websense Survey: Data Loss Prevention Critical in Today's Economy

READING, UK, Apr 29 (MARKET WIRE) --
An international survey of 104 security professionals conducted by
Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) at this year's e-Crime Congress reveals
that 93 percent of respondents believe companies are under more pressure
to protect from data loss due to the current economic climate.

According to the survey, key drivers that put organizations under pressure
for data loss in the current economic environment include:

-- Disgruntled employees receiving pay cuts or redundancy (73 percent)

-- Employees taking confidential data with them when leaving the company
(73 percent)

-- Companies not prioritizing security due to cost-cutting measures (62
percent)

-- Companies not understanding where confidential data resides due to
internal changes (51 percent).

Respondents also think that organizations that experience a serious
data breach are also more vulnerable to:

-- Bankruptcy (52 percent)

-- Share price reduction (59 percent)

-- Loss of customers (81 percent)

-- Risk of take-over (38 percent).

Responsibility for data loss lies with C-level executives and board
members, according to the results. Specifically:

-- 66.7 percent of respondents believe that C-level executives and the
board should be held responsible for a data breach while a quarter of
respondents believe that responsibility should lie solely with the CEO.

-- Only 4.3 percent believe that an external government body should take
responsibility.

-- Results from last year showed that a mere 5 percent of security
professionals would hold the IT department responsible. This has more than
tripled to 15.9 percent this year.

Security professionals also believe that businesses exposing
consumers' confidential data through a serious data breach should be
punished for security negligence. Specifically:

-- Nearly a third (30 percent) think that CEOs and board members should
face imprisonment for exposing consumers' confidential data (representing
an increase of 5 percent from last year's survey)

-- 62 percent believe companies should be fined

-- 68 percent call for compensation for consumers affected

"This research shows that security is still an important concern to
all security professionals," says Mark Murtagh, technical director at
Websense. "The call for severe penalties reveals the need for businesses
to step up to the mark and better understand the implications of a data
breach. By taking active steps like using a data loss prevention solution
to trace inbound as well as outbound data leaks, and having visibility of
where important and valuable data sits, companies greatly reduce the risk
of becoming a statistic."

About the Survey

The sample size of this international survey was 104 respondents from 21
countries. All respondents were amongst the delegates who attended the
e-Crime Congress on March 24 and March 25, 2009. These included security
professionals from government and public and private sector organizations,
as well as senior managers charged with responsibility for risk, audit and
compliance.

About Websense, Inc.

Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN), a global leader in integrated Web, data and
email security solutions, provides Essential Information Protection(TM)
for more than 44 million product seats under subscription. Distributed
through its global network of channel partners, Websense software and
hosted security solutions help organizations block malicious code,
prevent the loss of confidential information and enforce Internet use and
security policies. For more information, visit www.websense.com.

Follow Websense on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/websense.

Websense is a registered trademark of Websense, Inc. in the United States
and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other registered
and unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rebecca Zarkos
Websense, Inc.
+44.118.938.8607
rzarkos@websense.com

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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