A majority of remote workers use a defective device, so they don’t get into trouble
Bob Coppedge
Author | Speaker | Crotchety Old Geek | Co-Managed IT Services Guru | Fluent Translator of IT to Biz and Back | Host of the Biz-Tech Twists Podcast
A new report has discovered that 67% of remote workers are using faulty tech when they work remotely.
And often that’s because they’ve accidentally damaged the tech themselves and they don’t want to admit it to their boss in case they get into trouble.
A company that sells refurbished technology surveyed 2,500 employees.
It found that laptops were most likely to be broken, followed by keyboards, monitors, and PCs.
Most of the time the damage was done by spilled food and drink. Other causes of damage included other people in the house – such as a partner or housemates – and of course, pets.
We’ve all watched in horror as a cat brushes up against a full glass of water next to a laptop…
While more than half of people try to fix the damage, and 81% of people continue to use their faulty devices with limited features, a third of workers switch to their personal devices instead.
As well as this causing a loss of productivity, it could also be a huge data security risk for your business.
As their personal laptop doesn’t have as much security protection as their work laptop does, such as:
· Security software
· Data encryption
· Enhanced password protection such as multi-factor authentication
领英推荐
?
Their personal devices also aren’t being monitored by your IT support partner.
When an attacker gains access to an unmanaged device, if it’s connected to your network, they can get access to the wider network, and all of your business’s data.?
This can result in your data being stolen and sold. Or worse, your data being encrypted so it’s useless to you – and you must pay for its return. This is called a ransomware attack and it’s the greatest cyber security threat to your business right now.
It’s not just access to your data that’s the problem. After a ransomware attack, there is a huge time and financial cost involved in making sure your network is clean, protected, and secured.?
Our advice is to make sure that everyone in your business understands the risks involved with using personal devices for work purposes, whether they work remotely or not.?
You might want to make a golden rule that all work must only be done on business devices.
You could also create a culture where it’s OK if a device gets damaged, so long as it’s reported quickly.
If you need any help choosing the right technology or cyber security approach for your team, or creating new policies to help your staff choose to do the right thing, give us a call.
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.
<link rel="canonical" href=" https://www.yourtechupdates.com/2022/03/21/two-thirds-of-remote-workers-use-a-faulty-device-so-they-dont-get-into-trouble/" />
True Story!
Senior IT Support Engineer | Expertise in Troubleshooting, Desktop Engineering, and Client Solutions
2 年True, some lent it to their kids, which I could always tell. :/
America's Cyberist Helping Financial & Professional Services Avoid Loss, Improve Business, and Eliminate Doubt
2 年Bob Coppedge Golden Rule: All work must only be done on business devices. ??
Making that "golden rule that work may only be done on a business device" is probably all that most companies' IT audit will allow. It willfully ignores that we don't want to hunch over a company laptop at home. We want to look good and sound good on those Team calls. We want to work with that 8k line spreadsheet without our computer hosing up, so we use Macs. We probably all kitted out our home offices with our favorite tools. How long until WFH warriors can get some respect from the IT auditing industry?
Creator of Tech.Fierce.Optimize Bridging the Gap for IT Pros Between: ??Tech ?? Business ?? Mental & ?? Physical Health Through Exercise & Total Optimization DM ?? for Coaching
2 年Thanks for posting Bob! During my MSP days I pushed hard for clients to have top quality hardware that was only used for business purposes and to keep it well maintained. This makes the client more productive and the MSP not having to sort out what happened to a machine either physically or digitally when there are issues. I am often shocked by the problematic and insufficient hardware so many try to get by with to get work done. Spending the ?? on top quality hardware, security software and maintenance is always worth it in productivity gains and keeping your IT people happy.