Gombeens on Laptops
November 21, 2004
"When it comes to banjaxing computers at work, Irish workers are without equal..We spread viruses, let in hackers and write passwords down on desktop Post-It notes. Then, when our email-released internet viruses bring down the office network, we blame the IT department, Microsoft or eircom."
So says Adrian Weckler in his Sunday
Business Post column. Novell carried out a survey of Irish office workers and the results show us all up as a bunch of gombeens on laptops. Or PC's. Or tablets.
Some of the results of the study:
- 1 in 10 office workers write down their computer security password on a
Post-It note and stick it on their desk - 1 in 20 writes it down 'somewhere else'
- 75% say they wouldn't be worried if they personally spread a virus - this,
despite claiming that viruses are 'the number 1 security risk' - 20% say they wouldn't 'be bothered if a virus hit their desktop'.
I can vouch for those numbers - it's true. Office workers in Ireland are generally not that concerned with their computers. They are well used to being spoon-fed about all things 'IT related' from their IT Help Department. Many of them "know people in IT" but wouldn't have a clue about the various roles within it.
I was one of those people.
A whizz on Word, Excel and Powerpoint (hey I've been using Excel since version 1), but only vaguely aware of the difference between hardware and software. I knew how to get results from my computer, but only when it was working smoothly. I was reliant on good relations with the IT helpdesk to perform my role effectively.
No disrespect to me or anyone like me, that is merely the way that IT has been structured for many years. They are the ones with the knowledge. They can make things happen. But in an environment of increasing viruses, worms, and spyware, IT departments are unable to handle the onslaught. We can't rely on IT to protect us from everything out there in the big bad world. We must begin to take responsibility for our computer and take a few basic learnings in keeping its engine running. In the coming days, I will share a few of these with you.