Research reveals Internet security is a major issue for Australian businesses

Senior IT managers express concern over security breaches, hackers, viruses and decreased network capacity as a result of the Internet

SYDNEY --NSW - February 22, 2000 - - Research conducted for Symantec Australia by IDC Consulting (Australia), the world's leading research company, has revealed that content and Internet security is of paramount concern to Australian businesses and institutions. As the quantity and value of data exchanged through the Internet and computer networks increases, organisations are becoming more aware of the risks surrounding security breaches, hackers, viruses and the distribution of sensitive material.

Additionally, senior IT managers have identified that personal Internet and email usage during work hours impacts on network performance.

Fast Facts Top concerns for senior IT managers: Security of company data; System resources and capacity; Socially sensitive material; Employee productivity; Best approach to 'filtering'. Internet usage of employees interviewed: Nearly 33% had used the Internet for personal reasons; 96% had used chat rooms and email for personal reasons; 37% had browsed sexuality/sex education sites; 32% had accessed violence/crime sites; 65% feel filtering of Internet content is important.

The January 2000 study surveyed a cross section of Australian and New Zealand organisations and institutions to identify the key issues facing businesses in regard to Internet filtering and security. The research program was based on interviews with senior IT managers from large corporations, small and medium enterprises and government and education organisations, as well as interviews with employee end-users.

The research highlighted that key Internet concerns of senior IT managers include:

• Increased demands on system capacity, especially bandwidth, as a result of Internet downloads and email attachments for personal use;
• The management and legal ramifications of distributed commercially sensitive material, including company confidential information and information with the potential to damage the reputation of an organisation or industry (intentionally distributed or not);
• The management and legal ramifications of distributed socially sensitive material;
• Decreased employee productivity as a result of Internet and email personal use, although according to the research, overall the Internet increases productivity levels;
• The need for an appropriate solution to enable effective protection and management of company data.

"Increasingly, the Internet is linking businesses with their partners, suppliers and customers. Company data is therefore exposed to a wide range of threats as it is quickly and easily distributed and disseminated internally and externally of the organisation," said John Donovan, General Manager, Symantec Australia and New Zealand. "Our research suggests that Australian and New Zealand organisations acknowledge this increased risk and realise they need a solution that provides them with a secure network."

Employee Internet usage in Australian organisations
Surveying employees revealed that over one quarter spend an average of six hours or more per week on the Internet while at work, with almost one third of respondents logging onto the Internet for personal reasons. Ninety six per cent of these employees admitted to engaging in personal interactive chat or email during work hours, and nearly 42 per cent send personal emails with attachments on a daily basis. According to the senior IT managers interviewed, this type of Internet activity not only consumes valuable time, but also valuable bandwidth and has the ability to degrade network performance for all users. Senior IT managers feel that often these users are "blissfully unaware" of the consequences of their actions.

Of those end-users surveyed who admitted to using the Internet for personal reasons during work hours, 37 per cent visit websites relating to sexuality and sex education, 21 per cent access crime websites and 11 per cent surf websites containing violent content. The senior IT managers of organisations, particularly those in the public and educational arenas, expressed concern that offensive material can potentially have a detrimental impact on the public perceptions of the organisation and the industry not to mention legal ramifications. Of the employees surveyed, 65 per cent agreed that it is important for businesses to filter the information available to employees on the Internet.

According to the organisations represented in the research interviews, anti-virus and firewall technologies represent the most common way to currently protect networks from security threats. However, when it comes to the Internet management solutions that are now required for total Internet security, organisations either have technology that monitors employee Internet usage or no technology solution in place at all. The research uncovered that very few of the profiled organisations currently have some form of security or content filtering software installed, while most confirmed they do not conduct or reserve the right to conduct routine checks on employee Internet or email usage. Some of the organisations surveyed were considering implementing or intend to implement IT security and content filtering solutions in the next twelve months.

One of the most valuable components of an Internet filtering technology solution, according to the senior IT managers interviewed, is a regularly updated database of inappropriate websites and the ability to customise and categorise these websites according to the needs of the company, department and individual.

In addition to deploying an IT content security and filtering solution, interviewed senior IT managers agreed that a "soft" management approach, based on education and an element of trust, will achieve a workforce willing to abide by an accepted 'code of conduct' for Internet and email usage.

"The Internet is a fantastic tool for researching essential industry and market data, but as an unlimited source of information, education and entertainment, distraction is only ever a click away," said Donovan. "While this is an issue for organisations, what keeps IT managers on their toes are the risks surrounding security breaches, viruses entering their networks and the legal ramifications resulting from commercially sensitive material falling into the wrong hands - all of which are occurring more and more frequently."

The very fact that managers already experience detrimental affects of the Internet in their organisations is a much wider concern because clearly, as an industry, we only beginning to realise the endless possibilities of working with the Internet."

Research methodology
The three-part research project was conducted by IDC Consulting (Australia) on behalf of Symantec Australia in January 2000. The aim of the research was to expose the key issues facing organisations in Australia and New Zealand relating Internet filtering and security.

The research was based on three elements:

• A focus group comprising senior IT managers from Australian organisations. Each participant had direct responsibility for their organisation's Internet and email capabilities. Businesses from major sectors of the economy were represented - large, medium and small corporations, government organisations and a range of vertical markets.
• In-depth, face-to-face interviews with networking managers from Australian and New Zealand organisations, including participants from the focus group organisations. The aim of the interviews was to understand the issues relating to Internet filtering and security at the strategic level, in greater depth.
• An end-user survey with 150 telephone interviews with people who had access to the Internet at their place of work. This element of the research focused on providing insight into the use of the Internet by end users.

About Symantec
Symantec, a world leader in Internet security technology, provides a broad range of content security solutions to individuals and companies. The company is a leading provider of anti-virus protection, Internet content and e-mail filtering, and mobile code detection technologies to enterprise customers. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Symantec has worldwide operations in more than 24 countries