Once out of the office many employees are flouting
security policies designed to protect corporate applications
and data, creating significant "hidden" costs for their
employers.
Research commissioned by Vodafone among 1,116 UK employees has
revealed that many are engaging in online activities whilst mobile,
that they would not consider when in the office.
These include visiting adult, gambling, social networking and
dating sites, watching online video and TV and downloading and
installing additional software.
For instance, nearly 7% of mobile workers (10% of male mobile
workers) admit to visiting adult sites using their company laptop
or mobile device whilst out of the office. This contrasts to 3.8%
accessing these sites from a computer in the office.
Nearly one-in-five (19%) download music, 10% visited gambling
sites, and nearly 15% downloaded software without prior
authorisation whilst away from the office.
These results show "significant shortcomings in the enforcement
of IT policies for mobile workers", said Vodafone.
Risky behaviours by employees working away from the office not
only expose corporate networks to potential threats from the
viruses and malware commonly found on "less respectable sites, but
also to unforeseen costs," said Vodafone.
Vodafone said downloading software can change settings and
cause company equipment to fail, or disrupt other systems leading
to higher support costs. There may also be legal issues resulting
from inappropriate content or unlicensed software resident on
company hard drives.
Curt Hopkins, head of enterprise mobility solutions at Vodafone
UK, said, "Mobile workers may be accessing a video or music file
over a hotel Wi-Fi or 3G network whilst on a business trip. The
cost of these downloads are not anticipated and may not be included
in corporate price plans. The cost may be hidden in personal
expenses making it very difficult to manage."
The Vodafone Secure Remote Access managed service enforces IT
policies for flexible workforces and can limit users to
pre-authorised networks.