A new study from HP has revealed the headaches that remote workers cause IT administrators when it comes to using work equipment at home.
The news comes amid a global shift away from remote work as more companies look to reinstate office work mandates, with many citing better productivity, but employees aren’t happy with the changes.
HP’s analysis shows that three-quarters (75%) of businesses are struggling with IT operational challenges in the new world of technology. hybrid working.
Is hybrid working bad for companies?
Among the biggest challenges IT administrators face are ensuring data security (60%), keeping software up to date on remote devices (55%) and maximizing the accuracy of asset databases (also 55%) .
The research shows that only 42% of companies perform firmware updates annually, with 23% every two years or less, and a further 12% ‘when essential’. This increased security vulnerability is further accentuated by remote workers, meaning corporate laptops may not be connected to corporate networks or inspected by administrators as often as they would be in the office.
Speaking about the flexibility that digital working brings, HP Global Head of Security for Personal Systems Dr. Ian Pratt: “As the workplace evolves, so must security. To deliver secure, efficient and easy-to-use IT experiences in the future, companies will need a persistent endpoint management infrastructure that can support this new way of working.”
Given the circumstances, HP sees this as a perfect opportunity to connect its HP Wolf Protect and Trace, but more broadly the company found that four in five (82%) of respondents are considering investing in solutions that enable geolocation, locking and PCs remote wipe.
Going forward, HP suggests that a shift to “always on” security will be critical to ensuring companies’ devices remain protected.