Some scary news for Finance and IT: In a recent survey, more than half of employees said if they ever lost their jobs, they’d take sensitive company data with them.

About 58% of employees on Wall Street would take company information out the door with them if they were laid off and knew they could get away with it, according to a recent survey by tech security firm Cyber-Ark.

In fact, nearly half said they’d already taken personal copies of customer lists and other information in case they’re out of work in the near future. They say possessing that info will make them more attractive to future employers.

Perhaps the worst news for IT: 62% of employees believe stealing information from their companies would be “easy.”

The best solution against the dangers posed by departing employees: Get IT involved in the process as early as possible.

Details about staff cuts are often kept a closely guarded secret by upper management. But execs need to be aware of IT’s important role in deleting user accounts and removing access.

If IT staffers aren’t told soon enough, disgruntled former employees may have a window in which they can still access the company’s computer system and do serious damage.

Once notified, here are some key steps IT can take to keep the company safe:

• Completely document each employees’ access to the company’s network and building, so all the bases are covered
• Shut down remote connections, such as VPNs
• Make sure all devices (including, for example, PDAs, cell phones and smartphones) are turned in, and
• Notify help desk staff of who’s no longer an active employee, so ex-employees can’t call and have their access restored.

Tags: access, layoffs, passwords, security