WildPackets, Inc., a provider of network and application analysis solutions, found that 25% of IT managers are spending more than 10 hours per week troubleshooting the security and network problems of employees accessing information from remote locations. The most troublesome cases are derived from users gaining network access through remote wireless locations.The survey discovered that 60% of IT managers are spending anywhere from three to ten-plus hours a week analyzing and securing network traffic entering via wireless networks. It is estimated that similar issues from in-house network traffic only amount to a few hours of troubleshooting per month, which is a significant difference. This drain on IT resources is likely to get worse before it gets better as the number of remote employees continues to grow (27% since 2005 according to a recent study from research firm Gartner1).
"Identifying rogue network access, wireless or otherwise, is a critical factor when it comes to a company's network security," said Tony Barbagallo, vice president of marketing and sales at WildPackets. "With IT personnel spending nearly 25% of their week troubleshooting access from remote locations, it is clearly a case of finding a needle in a haystack."
The company says that IT personnel can benefit from expert, 24x7 monitoring solutions like WildPackets' OmniPeek to ensure that no instances of rogue network access are missed. By providing a 360-degree view of data entering such networks, OmniPeek enables IT teams to fight any malicious threats trying to pass through.
According to Gartner, the number of employees telecommuting is slated to reach 100 million by 20082. The trend for
