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NETWORKEXPERT
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THE A TO Z OF NETWORKING
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WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM LEADING INDUSTRY FIGURES AND COMMENTARY FROM OUR EDITOR
RAY SMYTH, WE TRY AND UPDATE ON BOTH NEW AND WELL ESTABLISHED TERMS TO ENHANCE
UNDERSTANDING AND CONSISTENCY AND TO DRIVE THE NETWORKING AGENDA
With BYOD rarely spoken of, is it possible that organisations continue to
overlook the risk that is posed by people at large? P is for People are the
weakest network link. There was a moment in time when employees had an
allocated work PC and that was it, but the rapid arrival and commoditisation of smart
devices means that employees are connecting multiple devices to the corporate
network, and in turn its data.
Peter Low, Director of Field and Lifecycle Services at CORETX commissioned research
among 100 IT managers. Peter says that, "The misuse of work devices is rife and
people using the devices are the biggest threat to a network and its business." The
research indicated that 83 per cent of IT managers had previously found concerning
personal data on employee devices including personal emails, sensitive personal
information, adult content, gambling and profanity. A further fifth uncovered evidence
of an employee's other business interests.
Whatever their intent, the people risk is real. Peter again: "The research, undertaken
with Vanson Bourne revealed that 47 per cent of SMEs have up to 50 unsecured
devices containing company information that are not securely stored. A further 23
per cent couldn't accurately estimate how many unsecured, unused devices they own.
This puts them at significant risk of violating corporate governance and data
protection laws.
"Technology continues to evolve quickly but despite the availability of more effective
new devices, over two thirds of company devices are between three and six years old.
Those looking after this aging device population are contacted by half of employees
with device issues once a month, creating resourcing pressure on IT."
With claims that an average employee now uses three IT devices each day, it's
becoming increasingly difficult for organisations to keep track and manage them
efficiently with insight to their use. Peter again, "Keeping devices working and secure
throughout their lifecycle is difficult. Nevertheless, it's concerning that many companies
aren't on top of this. If employers don't know where their devices are and who is using
them, how can they be redeployed? And with GDPR looming, how can they ensure that they're wiped of sensitive information and
avoid a potential network security risk?"
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 NETWORKcomputing 17