Over two-thirds of companies have admitted that employees disable or tamper with the security settings on their company laptops when working out of the office.
This is according to new customer research from leading British web security firm, ScanSafe, who have launched Anywhere+, the world’s first web security service for roaming workers.
Increasing numbers of staff travel for work and/or work remotely outside of traditional office hours. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, more than six million Britons now telework from various locations outside the office. In ScanSafe’s December 2007 survey, 95 per cent of respondents reported that at least 10 per cent of their staff worked remotely on a regular basis.
However, roaming employees are becoming a real challenge to corporate security. Forty per cent of companies reported they had been hit by a security threat as a result of a roaming worker’s use of their laptop in the last 12 months.
Anywhere+ protects laptop users from malware (computer viruses, spyware, etc) and enforces acceptable Internet usage policies for staff surfing the Web regardless of where they are. The service means businesses can easily and quickly extend their security policy to hotels, airports, remote offices, homes or anywhere else employees might use their laptops.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
“Businesses identify remote and roaming workers as one of the biggest weaknesses in their security,” said Dan Nadir, VP, product strategy, ScanSafe. “Users who surf unprotected while ‘on the road’ often return with infected laptops that can expose the company to data theft.”
Anywhere+, which is completely tamper-resistant and cannot be removed by the user, is available today with prices starting at £1.00 per user per month.
