Companies Must Extend Network Security To Remote Workers

Almost one in three (28 percent) of full and part time workers in Sydney and Melbourne telecommute, working away from their usual place of business using phone, fax and computer. This is the finding of new research * conducted by Newspoll on behalf of Optus that looked at attitudes towards remote working in Australia. According to the research, 32 percent of men telecommute, compared to 22 per cent of women.

This is good news for the growing band of workers that - according to the research - now escape the hassle of travelling to work and have the flexibility to spend more time with family, or close friends and to work outside normal office hours. But it presents fresh challenges to businesses that must provide secure remote access to the corporate network.

"There is really no question that the workforce is becoming more mobile, and technology is enabling this. The key for companies is to ensure mobile workers are just as productive as their colleagues based in the office and that security is not compromised," said Mr Chris Hancock, Managing Director, Optus Business.

Telecommuting, broadly defined, includes everything from overseas contract workers putting in a second shift while the home office sleeps, to "road warriors" who may have no fixed permanent office and do much of their work from a hotel room on a laptop. And increasingly, the concept of telecommuting has expanded to include employees' logging hours at home on nights and weekends, checking e-mail and working on projects.

According to Optus, the increased availability of IP-VPNs (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Networks) has made telecommuting viable for many workers. Optus operates a VPN service, Optus Private IP (OPI), for corporate and government clients such as the Australian Taxation Office, Bridge Information Systems, ASX, Westpac and Toyota providing remote access to more than 20,000 remote access staff, partners and customers.

But with this new opportunity comes new risks. "While telecommuting is an advantage for employees, making sure they adhere to security policies can be a headache," said Hancock. "Telecommuters need a secure connection to the corporate network that guarantees the same level of privacy and authentication as if connected from their office desktop within the corporate firewall."

*Telephone survey by Newspoll (November 2001) of 533 full and part time workers aged 18 years and over.

Many companies and government agencies in Australia are implementing PKI-based security to authenticate network access and ensure only authorised users gain access to confidential information and provide proof of identity in the online world.

With the trend towards telecommuting, the same high security must be applied to users accessing the network remotely. In November this year MSNBC reported that one Microsoft telecommuter working at home inadvertently opened a hole in the corporate computer system big enough for a hacker to get inside and view valuable trade secrets.

To help Australian business protect against unauthorised access to sensitive data Optus recently launched OPI Trust, a fully managed, secure remote access service that combines PKI and Smart Card technology.

"OPI Trust provides the benefits of PKI technology without the time consuming and complicated requirements on an in-house implementation. Because it is so simple to use, companies can be up and running in a matter of weeks rather than months. Its just like having an ATM card with your name on it and PIN that users insert into their PC or laptop," said Hancock.

Other key findings:

• More than half of workers (58%) believe telecommuting reduces the risk associated with working in city offices. This may be related to the recent terrorist attacks in New York .
• Men (32%) are more likely to telecommute than women (22%)
• Age does not present a barrier to telecommuting with workers across age bands 25-34 (31%), 18-24 (27%) and 35-49 (29%) being just as likely to telecommute
• Telecommuting is common amongst both full time workers (28%) and part time workers (26%)

For more information:
Melissa Favero
Optus Public Affairs
Phone: 02 9342 5030