Remote access raises risks

As more staff work from home or wirelessly while on the move, weak points in IT security increase

Remote and mobile email access is set to become increasingly popular among firms over the next 12 months, but many IT managers are unaware of the security problems that may arise, according to new research commissioned by IT infrastructure and applications specialist Business Systems Group (BSG).

The study of UK IT managers, carried out by research firm Vanson Bourne, found that half of businesses are planning to roll-out remote and/or mobile email projects over the next year, with nearly a quarter saying the projects will take up most of their resources.

But less than ten percent thought that controlling access to corporate email systems outside of the office was a pressing security threat.

"If you look at someone using [a wireless laptop] in an internet café or connecting from a home PC that the kids have used, then the ability to introduce a file, a virus or something nasty into the office environment is quite high," warned BSG's David Carmichael. "We've already seen the first mobile device viruses out there and as the number of [devices] running on Windows proliferates, they're always going to be the target of hackers."

He added that firms should follow manufacturers' best practice guidelines for installing the infrastructure for mobile devices, alongside end-user education programmes, in order to mitigate the risk of email security threats.

"Maybe we're going through a complacency trough at the moment," he argued. " The next thing to come along will be a critical mass coming online with remote and mobile email access that is slightly less IT savvy, and security risks will go up in line with that."