One in ten employees knowingly violates IT policy

Fiberlink Survey Finds Workers Blatantly Put Their Own and Their Customers’ Data in Danger

A new Fiberlink Poll published showed that more than one in ten U.S. workers admit to knowingly violating the policies put in place by their companies’ IT departments in order to get their work done. Harris Interactive conducted the study for Fiberlink, the creator of the MaaS360® Mobility-as-a-Service platform. The survey of 1,347 employed adults ages 18+ showed that 12 percent admitted to breaking policy. It was conducted online by Harris Interactive between February 2nd and 4th.

“We see this as a mobility wake-up call for all IT managers,” said Jim Sheward, CEO of Fiberlink. “IT departments nationwide spend a lot of time and money on their compliance, usage, and access policies, but they only work if people follow the rules. Without extensive and effective compliance tools that ensure that IT policies are being followed, companies could face dangerous breaches that include the loss of sensitive data, competitive intelligence, or customers’ private information.”

In early 2008, AMR forecast that spending on governance, risk, and compliance would hit $33.5 billion in 2009. Instead, it reached only $28.7 billion, or 14 percent less than predicted. According to AMR analyst John Hagarty, this spending suffered because “this stuff is often considered discretionary–a good business practice, but not essential.”

Fiberlink suggests the following tips to help ensure compliance with IT policies:

• Have a good inventory management system in place for your mobile assets so you know where and with whom they are at all times.
• Regularly communicate policies to users through different media–in-person meetings, email updates, and verbal reiteration.
• Make compliance a priority–both in terms of IT spend and job performance.

Complete information on the poll and the white paper “Extending Compliance to the Mobile Workforce: Risks and Security Best Practices for Mobile and Remote Computers” can be found online at www.MaaS360.com/survey/compliance.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Fiberlink from February 2-4, 2010 among 2,194 adults ages 18 and older of whom 1,347 are employed. Results were weighted reflect the U.S. adult population. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.