2008 CDW Telework Report Reveals One Foot on the Gas, One Foot on the Brake; Support for Telecommuting Grows, but is Offset by Security Concerns
Private-Sector Support for Telecommuting Grows Dramatically; Federal Ability to Maintain Operations During a Disruption Continues to Outpace the Private Sector
VERNON HILLS, Ill. - March 31, 2008 - CDW Corporation, a leading provider of technology products and services to business, today announced the findings of its fourth annual telework survey. According to the national survey of employees and information technology (IT) professionals in the private sector and the Federal government, private-sector employers have taken significant steps to expand telecommuting initiatives since a year ago, and private-sector telecommuting adoption is approaching the Federal level, with 14 percent of private-sector employees telecommuting, compared to 17 percent of Federal employees.
The CDW survey shows that 76 percent of private-sector employers now provide technical support for remote workers, up 27 percentage points over 2007. Federal agencies remain strong advocates for telecommuters, with 56 percent of Federal IT professionals indicating that their agencies provide IT support for telecommuters. Since 2005, Federal IT support for telecommuting, also called telework, has grown 23 percent, according to a year-over-year trend analysis of telework survey data.
"The private sector is solidly embracing telework. Continuity of operations alone could justify the investment, and improved employee satisfaction is icing on that cake," said Ken Grimsley, vice president of strategic sales for CDW. "Still, many businesses remain unprepared for recovery from disruptions or are failing to take advantage of affordable, advanced security technologies that are justifiable even without telework. We have a long way to go."
Telecommuting and IT security
IT professionals in both sectors say security is their top concern about telework, with 42 percent of Federal IT professionals and 27 percent of private-sector IT professionals indicating that it is their most pressing challenge. Overall, IT professionals appear confident in their organizations’ IT security measures. Eighty-four percent of Federal IT professionals and 88 percent of private-sector IT professionals said their organization’s IT security procedures and systems are effective. Fifty-six percent of Federal agencies and 74 percent of private-sector employers authenticate telecommuters separately from the remote computers they use, ensuring that they know not only what devices are accessing their networks, but also who is at the keyboard. Moreover, nearly 70 percent of Federal and private-sector employers are providing the computers and other equipment that telecommuters use, adding an additional measure of control.
Despite those security protections, the survey uncovered a gap in awareness that could introduce security weaknesses: 21 percent of Federal employees and 31 percent of private-sector employees say they are not aware of their organization’s corporate security policies, potentially opening the door to behaviors that risk security breaches.
Telecommuting capability benefits continuity planning, employee recruitment
Ever-heightening concerns with traffic congestion, air pollution and gasoline prices increase the attraction of telecommuting, and the 2008 CDW Telework Report also finds that the telecommuting option could improve employee recruitment, satisfaction and retention. In fact, 50 percent of Federal employees and 40 percent of private-sector employees say that the option to telecommute would influence their decision to remain with their employer or take a new job.
Further, broad telecommuting adoption could ensure the continuity of government and business operations in the aftermath of a major catastrophe, or even for the duration of a minor disruptive event - such as snowstorms, tornadoes or wildfires - and this year’s survey finds mixed news on the topic of continuity planning. In the private sector, continuity of operations capability increased but still trails the Feds, with 46 percent of private-sector employees indicating that they could continue working during a disruption, up from 33 percent in 2007. Consistent with a marked decrease in Federal telework eligibility, Federal employees’ ability to continue to work remotely in the event of a natural or man-made disaster has declined significantly since 2007, with 59 percent of Federal employees indicating that they could telework during a disruption, down from 75 percent in 2007.
The value of telecommuting to continuity of operations is clear, with more than half of Federal employees who can continue working during a disruption indicating that they are eligible to telework. In the private sector, the benefit is even more dramatic, with more than 70 percent of employees who can continue working indicating that their company has a telework program.
Federal government telework trends
Federal law requires agencies to enable telework for 100 percent of eligible employees. Drivers for Federal telework adoption include military base closings and realignments, traffic congestion around major metropolitan areas, and environmental impacts, as well as enabling productivity for field workers and planning for continuity of operations in the event of natural or manmade catastrophes.
Alongside the increase in technical support for teleworkers, the percentage of Federal employees eligible to work remotely dipped to 40 percent from its high of 55 percent in 2006. The drop coincides with continuing concern about IT security as agencies balance the needs of an increasingly mobile workforce with the requirement to ensure the security of government networks and data.
"More stringent IT security policies are controlling telework expansion in the Federal government," said Andy Lausch, senior director of Federal sales for CDW-G. "Federal agencies recognize that IT security and telework can co-exist, and they are carefully managing telework programs hand-in-hand with layered technology solutions that protect data and networks while enabling the increased productivity and flexibility that telework affords."
About the 2008 CDW Telework Report
The only concurrent survey of both end-user employees and the Information Technology (IT) professionals that support them, the 2008 CDW Telework Report surveyed more than 1,800 Federal government and private-sector employees and IT professionals nationwide. Federal respondents include 550 employees and 273 Federal IT professionals returning results with a ±4.12 percent and ±5.89 percent margin of error respectively. Private-sector respondents include 539 employees and 452 IT professionals returning results with a ±4.16 percent and ±4.56 percent margin of error respectively.
For purposes of the survey, CDW defines "telecommuting" (or "telework") as employees doing their current job during regular work hours from home or another location away from the employer’s primary work locations.
Other data points in the report include:
- Federal and private-sector interest in telework
- Continuity of operations planning (COOP) preparedness
- Current telework security solutions
- Drivers for telework
- Teleworker productivity
- Employee and IT professional perceptions of telework
For more information on the CDW Telework Report or to download a copy, please visit www.cdw.com/telework.
About CDW
CDW®, ranked No. 342 on the 2007 FORTUNE 500 and No. 39 on Forbes magazine’s list of America’s Largest Private Companies, is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education. CDW is a principal source of technology products and services including top name brands such as Acer, Adobe, APC, Apple, Cisco, EMC, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Panasonic, Quantum, Samsung, Sony, Symantec, ViewSonic and Xerox.
CDW was founded in 1984 and as of December 31, 2007 employed approximately 6,300 coworkers. In 2007, the company generated sales of $8.1 billion. For more information, visit CDW.com.
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