Do you have an iPod policy?

Many Canadian business leaders see risks, and benefits, posed by mobile technology

Canadian businesses are beginning to protect themselves from risks posed by technology by monitoring and managing the portable storage devices employees bring to work, according to a recent national survey.

The poll of 259 businesses, conducted by Ipsos Reid and sponsored by Sun Microsystems of Canada Inc., showed that 49 per cent of senior leaders in mid- and large-sized businesses have established policies to prevent employees from bringing personal laptops and USB keys to work. Another 30 per cent have banned MP3 Players, such as iPods.

Forty-two per cent of executives surveyed cited theft of customer information as the greatest negative impact a security breach would have on operations. There is a legitimate cause for concern as an eight gigabyte compact flash card, the size of an after-dinner mint, can hold approximately 500,000 pages of text or 800,000 emails.

"In today's global enterprise, many executives are aware of the potential risks posed by mobile devices, but they continue to lack the appropriate security measures and policies required to protect themselves from threats," said Andy Canham, president of Sun Microsystems of Canada. "It's good to see more Canadian companies implementing sound practices that reduce their risks, but more needs to be done in light of the growing trend toward increased workforce mobility."

Remote access is becoming increasingly important to Canadian businesses. Ninety-one per cent of organizations surveyed provide cell phones to some of their employees, and almost as many companies provide laptops. Of those companies that did not offer remote access, 72 per cent admitted security concerns influenced their decision.

Despite its prevalence, 17 per cent of those polled admitted they have a very poor understanding of the risks associated with remote or wireless access. Similarly, thirteen percent of respondents believe they are doing a poor job of mitigating risks and 11 per cent are not applying proper procedures to successfully deal with security breaches.

"There seems to be a naiveté and lack of understanding about the best practices to prevent serious remote or wireless attacks on a company's IT networks and databases," said David Saffran, senior vice-president at Ipsos Reid. "With many businesses choosing to operate merely at acceptable levels to mitigate wireless risks, it is debatable whether or not companies could withstand an actual breach."

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