UK scores high for secure remote working

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 9 Oct 2006 at 17:41

In a global survey of remote workers, the UK shapes up as one of the more secure nations.

The Cisco-commissioned survey polled 100 or more remote workers from each of the 10 countries and discovered that while many of us proclaim an awareness of the extra security risks associated with remote working, that doesn't necessarily translate into safe working practices.

Indeed the UK was placed third behind China and Australia with 72 per cent acknowledging the need to take extra precaution when remote working. At the lower end of the scale, India and Japan polled 52 per cent and 59 per cent respectively.

How remote corporate equipment is actually used, though, tells a different story. Some 29 per cent admitted personal use of such equipment. The UK fell below this with 27 per cent, while China and Japan topped and tailed this with 12 per cent and 57 per cent respectively.

But figures for online shopping give the lie to these claims as, on average, 10 per cent more said they use their company's kit for online shopping. The most common justification for this was that they had to make personal use of their company's computers and time in order to get things done they otherwise wouldn't have time for. Around half also claimed that their company didn't mind them doing so.

The UK really stands out when it comes to allowing friends and family access to remote computers. Just seven per cent of respondents said they allowed this, the lowest figure of all countries. This compares with the overall average of 21 per cent, and China, where 42 per cent would share their remote computing equipment.

For email behaviour, India and Brazil look the riskiest place to have your remote workers. One in five in India said they would open unknown emails and open attachments and follow any links in the mail. In Brazil the figure was 12 per cent. Perversely, India also had the highest percentage for the most secure behaviour of not opening unknown mail and notifying IT.

None of this means that remote workers behave any better or worse than if they were on the premises. But it does highlight the need to ensure the same corporate security safeguards are extended to all workers, not just those sat permanently on the network.

Jeff Platon, Cisco's vice president of Security Solutions Marketing, said: 'IT must play a more strategic role, and to do that they need to develop stronger relationships with users to prevent threats from sabotaging efficiency and personal identities... This study illustrates a golden opportunity for IT to elevate its role from a reactive, back-office function. IT has the opportunity to be progressive - to maintain a steady dialogue with users, to implement educational programs tailored to different business cultures and user groups, and to weave security best practices into corporate cultures. Driving this cultural change can help maximize the value - and safety - of teleworking, especially at a time when businesses are becoming extremely mobile.'

For more information, visit the Cisco website.