IT pros deliberately like to break IT rules

Bangalore: A poll of 1,347 employed adults ages 18 and up released by Harris Interactive showed that a large number of IT workers across the world violate IT policies to get their work done.

Speaking on this issue, Jim Sheward, CEO of Fiberlink said, "We see this as a mobility wake-up call for all IT managers. IT departments nationwide spend a lot of time and money on their compliance, usage, and access policies, but they only work if people follow the rules. Without extensive and effective compliance tools that ensure that IT policies are being followed, companies could face dangerous breaches that include the loss of sensitive data, competitive intelligence, or customers' private information."

He also said that 88 percent of respondents who said they don't bypass policies to get work down are either lying outright, or are fooling themselves. Who hasn't broken a corporate policy to expedite workflow?

Violating the policies could include using a simpler password that is more easily remembered, or even writing down a complex password on paper. It could include copying unencrypted data to a USB drive, using home PCs to work on company files, using wireless connections with their corporate issued notebook. Users who click on links or open attachments from people they don't know, or access certain Web sites are probably violating policy. And the list could go on indefinitely. While few break all of the rules all of the time, fewer still follow all of the rules all of the time.

All of those actions put at risk not only the end user doing them, but the security and compliance posture of the entire organization.