IT executives worried about data leaks over remote networks

By Isabelle Chaize

In research from AEP, IT managers from the UK and North America admitted to being concerned about possible security weaknesses arising from increased use of remote networks and outsourcing.

91% of those questioned said that the necessity for networks to become more open to allow guest network access and remote working means they can’t be sure about the security of confidential data.

Greater accessibility to the network also leads to fears of attack by malware, with 89% of IT executives counting this as a possible result. 85% of them said that hacking was more likely as networks grow more open.

However despite the risks, 94% of managers said they already allowed, or were planning to allow, access to their networks to remote employees, and over 50% extended their remote access permission to include contract staff and external IT support staff.

Reginald Best, chief operating officer of AEP networks, summed up their dilemma saying ‘on the one hand, IT managers are rightly under pressure to open the network door to partners, suppliers and customers, to improve efficiency, and enhance business processess. On the flip-side, they’re sweating over how to prevent unauthorised access, protect company information and deflect malicious attacks’.

He suggested some approaches businesses could take, emphasising the importance of policy-making in order to tackle the security problem. He advises companies to ask themselves questions like ‘what systems should specific types of remote workers be allowed to access? What should you do about visitors who don’t have the required antivirus software on their machines but need to work on your network?’

He added that cyber-cafes posed an additional problem - ‘And what about providing a safe access to users who want to log in from third party locations such as internet cafes? How does the organisation track and audit access? These are the types of issues for which organisations need to develop policies,’ he finished.

Some more immediate solutions which IT managers said they would be using included greater control over network access, which 41% of those questioned listed as a solution they were considering. 37% mentioned some form of ID based network security, and 35% suggested encryption.

However the most common solution, with 48% of managers, was increasing the portion of the budget devoted to security so that it included remote access.