Reducing security, legal, support and productivity risks

System administrators tell us that applications with the potential to create security, legal, support and productivity issues cause the most concern. Users with local administration rights can download and install applications of their own choosing. While some applications can provide efficiency gains, others can lead to less desirable results.

Security is the biggest concern, with P2P and IM-based malware attacks growing fast. Regulations including Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and the Data Protection Act make it a priority to maintain and protect data. Installation of unauthorized IM and P2P applications increases the risk of a legal breach.

Unauthorized applications can also be a support headache if not properly tested and deployed; they can impact on productivity with users playing games when they should be working, and use up valuable network bandwidth and processing power.