The bMighty Blog -- Business & E-Business

The employees in your company are all over the place, on the road, working in coffee shops, from home, in the airport, at a client's site — you name it. But you, Mr. IT manager, don't have to worry. They know what they're doing, right? They listen to you when you tell them how to be careful and how to keep their machines and devices secure and virus-free, correct?

Wrong!

And guess what? It's all your fault.

A recent study by InsightExpress — which was commissioned by Cisco and the National Cyber Security Alliance — indicates that mobile wireless workers are not thinking about any of that.

The findings were culled from over 700 mobile employees in seven countries. A quote from a press release about the study is amusing: "Although the study uncovers risky behavioral trends, the results represent a major opportunity for IT to play a more proactive and strategic role in protecting their employees and businesses overall, both through education and solutions."

This is a major opportunity all right. An opportunity to get blamed. The stats?

The release elaborates:

"Almost three of every four (73 percent) mobile users claimed that they are not always cognizant of security threats and best practices when working on the go. Although many said they are aware "sometimes," 28 percent of them admitted that they "hardly ever" consider security risks and proper behavior. Some of these mobile users even admitted that they "never" consider safe best practices and didn't know they needed to be aware of security risks. When asked why they were lax in their security behavior, many mobile users offered reasons like, "I'm in a hurry," "I'm busy and need to get work done," "Security just is not top-of-mind for me," and "It's IT's job, not mine."

Did everyone get that? I'll say it again: "It's IT's job, not mine."

So, I guess all you IT managers will be doing lots of traveling as you follow the employees of your company around the globe, making sure they follow all the security procedures when using their machines and wireless devices.

While you're at it, make sure they eat their vegetables, wipe their faces after their meals, and tuck them into bed at night.

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