Here’s one the banks would rather the virus-writers didn’t see: A
majority of desktop management professionals believe it is more difficult to
harden remote and mobile endpoints against emerging security or virus
threats, according to a new study.
According to the survey from Supportsoft, which also makes real-time
management software, large business enterprises are struggling to manage the
security vulnerabilities associated with a mobile and remote workforce.
Ninety-one percent of the desktop management professionals said it is more
difficult to harden mobile devices against viruses and similar security
threats.
The survey said the risks may be even greater for financial institutions,
which faced an estimated 34 million targeted security attacks in the first
half of this year alone, according to IT research firm Gartner .
The study also found that 89 percent of IT desktop managers who responded to the
survey said remote and mobile endpoints make it harder to remain in
compliance with IT, financial, regulatory or security policies.
And there’s more. About half of the survey respondents said remote and
mobile end-users are the ones who ignore IT policy and regulatory
compliance requests. The results were released during Gartner’s Financial
Services and IT summit in New York. Gartner’s own data predicts that by
2008, four out of every 10 PCs purchased by large enterprises will be
notebooks.
So the pain in the endpoints could only get worse. When asked about what
would make their job easier, the most often selected response (64 percent) is the
ability for desktop management to verify in real-time that all remote and
mobile endpoints are in IT and regulatory compliance, SupportSoft’s survey
said.
