Network Security Lags Remote Access, Survey Finds
The degree to which businesses are offering remote workers access to corporate networks is outpacing their efforts to secure said networks, according to results of a new survey from AEP Networks.
Ninety-two percent of organizations allow employees to work remotely or on the move while 44 percent believed their networks to be no more than “quite” secure, according to a the survey of 160 organizations of varying size and type.
The survey also found that 83 percent of remote workers carry corporate data on their laptops and mobile devices despite the perceived impact of data loss and unauthorized data access on the business as a whole.
Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed said data loss would cause major, long-term damage. The rest ranged between these two poles, with 61 percent taking the middle ground, tipping the balance toward more significant harm. When asked about the likely impact of data loss on their organization, 53 percent thought it would result in a negative impact on their business reputation while 22 percent said customer relationships would be damaged and 19 percent felt that the impact would be felt directly in the bottom line.
The survey found that customers recognize the threats and are responding. Sixty-one percent are relying on VPN security. Nearly 69 percent plan to increase their investment in remote security over the next 12 months.
