Danger: high downloads
Article Date: Aug 19 2005
Women are twice as guilty as men when it comes to transferring personal files to their work computers, according to new research from Centennial Software. And it seems the summer season is when this phenomenon climaxes, with bragging workers eager to upload their holiday snaps.
Centennial’s findings indicate that 50 per cent of working women download personal files to their work computers, compared to only 25 per cent of men. With regard to digital photography, only 14 per cent of men use their work computer to download their pictures from a camera. Three times as many women admit to doing this, with 50 per cent also viewing the office as the ideal place from which to download music.
‘Summer sees company PCs become bloated with holiday photos and music,’ cautions Andy Burton, CEO of Centennial Software. ‘MP3 players will consume millions of digital files this year, while digital cameras will create millions more.
‘Our research shows that 35 per cent of these files will land up on company-owned computers, presenting a huge risk to corporate networks as unmonitored devices connect with employees’ PCs.’
Centennial warns that the presence of ‘uncontrolled’ removable media devices – including iPods, USB sticks, digital cameras and PDAs – on the corporate network can dramatically increase the risks of identity theft, data loss and the introduction of viruses and malware into the organisation. ‘Controlling access to these devices should be a vital part of any IT policy,’ advises Burton.
