Research conducted by LANDesk Software shows that IT departments are facing a daunting battle to regain control of the way they enforce policy and practice within their organisations. More than half (61%) of IT decision makers in the UK see the security threat of staff use of social media as their biggest concern. Social media not only clogs up expensive bandwidth but also exposes corporate networks to significant security risks - inbound security threats and data leakage. Many of these networks have third party applications allowing the unauthorised collection and distribution of personal information which in itself is dangerous, even worse is how dangerous they are for corporate networks that contain a great deal of sensitive business information. iPads, Android phones, tablets and other similar devices open the door to increased and easier access to the internet and the ever expanding suite of applications that are downloaded to them. This increases the risk of viruses onto the network.

Today more end-users than ever are able to easily download software and manage the way they use IT. As a result, many employees see themselves as their ‘own IT Manager’, which has the potential to cause a number of problems for organisations. As applications evolve, end-users increasingly download new software add-ons which can expose businesses to new and additional security threats. The more applications and devices on the network then the more risk of threats. Despite the fact that the majority of firms have strict policies around the use of social media (73%) and internet downloads (89%) in place, the study showed that one in three were unsure that these were being adhered to.

Indeed, 55% of employees surveyed admitted to downloading software from the internet to a corporate network. Almost half (48%) of those downloads were found to be non-work related, leading to a quarter of employees needing to contact IT helpdesks to fix resulting problems often wasting valuable time and resources.

Furthermore, the study found that 58% of staff admitted to posting company information on social media platforms, creating additional security challenges through the potential loss or leak of sensitive information. Personal devices like the iPad lead to increased web access and decreased IT control with more people able to access corporate data and transfer or even delete important documents.

According to Apple, iPad users downloaded over one million apps and 250,000 ebooks during the first day of its sales, a rate that shows no signs of slowing in the coming months. This is an issue that is clearly here to stay, there’s no question that as technology – such as the iPad and Android phones - continues to evolve, IT departments will find themselves fighting more fires, resulting in greater resourcing and financial pressures. Systems management and security software can help solve a number of these problems, but only when customers are using all the functions available, which all too often they’re not. We would encourage all IT departments to get in touch with their software vendors to learn about the tools and practices that can be put in place to help minimise security threats and future proof their business.
The use of social networks by workers on the job has increased again, with usage patterns that may create new security issues for corporate networks.

BOX OUT – Top 10 Tips for securing your network against iPads and other 3G devices

1) Ensure that a robust and precise IT policy is in place that clearly outlines the accepted use of iPads within the business network. This should be clearly communicated with staff and a close alignment with the HR department is recommended

2) Encrypt e-mail sessions, which can be done via Microsoft’s ActiveSync to discover all devices that connect to your network.

3) Lock them with a strong passcode.

4) Lock them automatically when they have been idle for set period.

5) Wipe them clean if they are lost or stolen using your remote systems management tools
6) Wipe them after a set number of failed logins.

7) Sign configuration profiles and protect them with passwords to avoid tampering.

8) Provide easy routes for employees to report lost or stolen iPads – selfservice and support routes (web, email, and phone) to enable easy records to be kept.

9) Automate wiping. Enable ‘lost my iPad’ support processes raised by the device owners through support interfaces to perform a wipe automatically at any time.

10) Ensure iPads are known and managed through your systems management system alongside all other IT-managed devices such as desktop computers, laptops and mobile phones.