ANTenna Blog -- Business & E-Business

There are lots and lots of reasons why telecommuting is good for a smaller business. There are space and cost savings, flexible schedules, and happier employees. But along with a telecommuting policy, should be a security policy that is not only developed but also publicized. A recent study on telecommuting indicates that that is not always the case.

CDW completed its 2008 Telework Report and the results are both heartening and frightening. The good news is that the survey shows that 76 percent of private-sector employers provide technical support for remote workers -- up 27 percentage points over 2007. Why is this good news? For one thing the report also reports that a whopping 40 percent of private-sector employees say that "the option to telecommute would influence their decision to remain with their employer or take a new job." That's a lot of potential employees your company is missing out on if you don't have a telecommuting option.

Perhaps even more significantly, the report indicates that with telecommuting policies, companies are also able to maintain continuity of operations in the face of pretty much anything. According to the report: "The value of telecommuting to continuity of operations is clear, with more than half of Federal employees who can continue working during a disruption indicating that they are eligible to telework. In the private sector, the benefit is even more dramatic, with more than 70 percent of employees who can continue working indicating that their company has a telework program.

As Ken Grimsley, vice president of strategic sales for CDW, is quoted in the company's release: "The private sector is solidly embracing telework. Continuity of operations alone could justify the investment, and improved employee satisfaction is icing on that cake."

But, he added: "Still, many businesses remain unprepared for recovery from disruptions or are failing to take advantage of affordable, advanced security technologies that are justifiable even without telework. We have a long way to go."

A long way to communicate that is.

According to the report, one of the main concerns IT guys have with telecommuting is security. Yet, also according to the report, "88 percent of private-sector IT professionals said their organization's IT security procedures and systems are effective" with "74 percent of private-sector employers authenticate telecommuters separately from the remote computers they use, ensuring that they know not only what devices are accessing their networks, but also who is at the keyboard. Moreover, nearly 70 percent of Federal and private-sector employers are providing the computers and other equipment that telecommuters use, adding an additional measure of control."

But, herein lies the rub. The report continues: "Despite those security protections, the survey uncovered a gap in awareness that could introduce security weaknesses: 21 percent of Federal employees and 31 percent of private-sector employees say they are not aware of their organization's corporate security policies, potentially opening the door to behaviors that risk security breaches."

Nearly a third of employees surveyed were not even aware of their company's security policies. No policy can be effective if your employees don't know about it.

Let your employees telecommute. Just make sure to tell them how to do it, safely.