TECHNOLOGY SERVICE NEWS

QUARTERLY REPORT June 2006, Vol. 3, Issue 2 ©2006

Telecommuting Drives Security Concerns Working from home is now a fixture of the business landscape and security policies to manage remote PCs are part of the same reality. IDC reports that roughly 8.9 million telecommuters in the U.S. worked from home three or more days a month in 2005. About 25-percent of them worked from home full time. IDC believes that by 2009 the number of telecommuters in the U.S. will rise to 9.9 million. According to IDC, healthcare, science, manufacturing, and technical services are the industries where telecommuting is most prevalent. The challenge for IT managers is to make sure each telecommuter's PC is up to date with security guidelines. NSI recommends that telecommuters be provided PCs with VMWare ACE imaging and that a secure VPN access be utilized. NSI also believes it is prudent that companies have signed agreements with telecommuters detailing the acceptable practices for use of home-based computers. Finally, anti-virus software is not enough to ensure security for remote users. We recommend companies also employ a desktop firewall to prevent port attacks.   Telecommuting Check-List Identify remote users Determine how you will connect users Determine how you will support users Establish back-up policies for users Set up security and authentication for users