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Telecommuting (2003)
Ensuring the benefits of teleworking are not outweighed by the dangers of remote access should concern today's businesses By Jayne Parkhouse
James has no alarm clock to cause apoplexy at 6 a.m. in his household. And there's certainly no mad dash through the rush hour to spend 40 minutes standing in a crowded train feeling like he's just been slapped between two slices of bread and a soggy lettuce leaf.
He does not belong to the realm of the unemployed, nor has he retired, but his life is certainly more relaxed, in a pleasant and more productive sense. His is the world of the telecommuter; a solitary figure who wakes as the sun shimmers through the window blinds to start the day with a stress-free ritual of toasted bagel and fresh coffee. James is one of the workers involved in telecommuting in the U.S.
Joining the stay-at-homes
For millions of U.S. residents, this is reality. Here in the U.S. the number is ever increasing, as the benefits to both the employee, their company and the impact on the environment has long been a recognized phenomenon. It has also been backed by legislation, because it saves on increased road tolls, congestion, and higher fuel usage, and reduces pollution.
As the trend grows so do the number of security solutions on which companies have to depend for the protection of critical data. It is no longer just the laptop user who inadvertently opens doors to their company assets, so the technology has also been driven towards the teleworker and into the domain of the new breed of employee.
Everything from secure internet connections to virtual private networks, firewalls, authentication, anti-virus and content checking, to name but a few, are all just as relevant in the telecommuting world as within the gates of the corporate empire. This provides a broad base of solutions that can give remote worker some real bite in their bark when it comes to self-protection that is combined with corporate security.
Protecting the critical areas
If you still are not convinced by the positive aspects of telecommuting for both your business and its employees as a regular way to do business (and it's not everyone's utopia) then at the very least this should be part of any serious disaster recovery policy duly implemented as part of your overall security. Take the business that suffers a major fire for instance, one that is razed to the ground; having a disaster plan that incorporates telecommuting would enable the business to resume within hours not weeks or months.
So what are the areas that require protection? Our Group Test focuses on the practical implementation of different solutions and how they can be used effectively to protect the critical areas, between the corporate network, its data and the remote PC. Delivering server-level protection is one thing, but when you remove that, what defenses are left to provide the protection needed in any or all circumstances?
A typical set-up would require user level anti-virus (but for corporate protection), remembering that the teleworkers will be sending out business correspondence from their off-site office. Content filtering and some control of policy should also be initiated.
The protection required will depend on the level of critical data and the type of business you run, but the risks can be increased when security is left in the hands of the user. Risk can be controlled by compulsory education on company security and the confirmation that the user understands both the concepts and the solutions he or she will be expected to utilize.
We cannot endeavor to cover every eventuality, nor can we review every product that has been developed for the teleworker; instead in this month's Group Test we have a small selection of solutions that cover certain critical aspects of typical teleworking/telecommuting ideal security. Some of these solutions simply and securely permit authentication, allowing teleworkers to enter their corporate networks, while others provide anti-virus, VPN, intrusion detection and firewall capabilities.
Surprisingly, small doesn't mean weak, as the developers have managed to scale down the solutions without losing the power that the enterprise-sized products have on offer. With seven products to choose from you are sure to find something to fit your circumstances and your budget without having to sacrifice strength. All are easy to install and use and even configuration is kept to the minimum, enabling a secure teleworking environment.
Knowing what to choose
Although not like-for-like, these products are designed to protect a certain breed of worker and as such we will be testing their worth and deciding on the most practical and comprehensive of these products. Then next time you work from home you can ask yourself whether you have the necessary protection for both yourself and your corporate network. If not, you can always refer back to our Group Test for a few pointers.
