The recent findings of an independent survey conducted by Dynamic Markets highlight that only 12% of IT managers in the UK believe that the ‘dynamic’ Web (the top 100 most popular sites) contains the biggest security threat when, according to a similar report focused on technical research, approximately 70% of the top 100 most popular websites have hosted or directed users to malicious code or put them at risk to fraudulent activity.

More than a third (37%) disclosed that employees at their organisation have tried to bypass IT security policies to access unapproved Web sites which fall into this category. This is despite the fact that 82% of respondents reported confidence in their organisation’s Web security although 9% of IT Managers aren’t even sure of their own IT security policies.

Unsurprisingly, more than half (57%) of IT managers believe that the internet is important to their business. The survey also highlights that three quarters (75%) of IT managers feel pressured to allow more access to the web for employees. This pressure is coming from all areas including management as a way to demonstrate trust in their staff. As the importance the internet plays in businesses continues to evolve, IT departments will face increasing pressure to strike a balance between preventing security risks whilst also allowing staff to access this business enhancing tool in a safe and secure way.

In an office environment, one way of allowing staff the freedom and trust to browse freely is to establish a comprehensive web use policy and to monitor business traffic.