The IT department is going green…
SecurEnvoy's Steve Watts describes how the IT department can authentically go green
There will be many people out there with 'global warming overload'. They know they should turn down their heating by a degree, walk or take public transport when they can, turn off lights, don't leave electrical equipment on standby, wash at 30 degrees and recycle wherever possible. There is a lot to take in.
Many companies face similar pressures, especially those with shareholders or a significant public profile. Large offenders have to work within carbon cap and trade schemes. Such policies may only be for the biggest energy consumers around but there is also pressure on less industrial businesses to do their bit. HSBC, for example, will report annually the amount of carbon dioxide it emits, and other names are trying to beat their competition with their green promises.
Of course the brand value that can be gained from a company's environmental policy is becoming an increasingly helpful tool. Making a green statement is undoubtedly good PR and with new statutory goals and environmental targets to hit, companies have found some financial benefits. Take Honda's latest FCX car as an example. It is designed to use no petrol whatsoever and is truly groundbreaking. Despite the fact that it is far too expensive for the average person it has created a storm of publicity and positive press for the brand.
But organisations can save CO2 in many ways - they do not necessarily have to buy an acre of forest to ease the corporate conscious. Some of these are similar to the initiatives aimed at consumers, such as shutting down computers and turning off lights at the end of the day, ensuring buildings are energy efficient or encouraging employees to reduce the amount they travel. And then there are other areas that businesses can consider, such as reducing the numbers of servers, using renewable energy where possible, or relying on video conferencing.
Every employee, in every department should have responsibility for looking at the way he or she works, and trying to identify if there are CO2 savings that could be made. The IT department is no exception, and in many organisations actually plays a significant role in developing green credentials.
The fact is that with going green, the little things are just as important as the big things. Take, for example, two-factor authentication tokens that are used by so many employees in companies around the world to provide an additional layer of security to corporate systems for staff working remotely. Do any of these businesses realise the impact that these small devices can have on their CO2 emissions?
The transportation of hardware tokens alone has big environmental implications. It would take 1,800 trees one year to offset the carbon from distributing 3,000 hardware tokens. That is before the manufacturing has been considered. Since tokens are easily lost and frequently misplaced, the amount of CO2 emitted keeps increasing. This has to be a consideration for IT departments that, on the one hand need to facilitate secure remote working for staff, but also want to be environmentally aware.
Companies are encouraging remote working, it has become a natural part of office life, and it also has environmental advantages. But they need to ensure secure access for their workers. Therefore an authentication system above and beyond the standard login and password format is essential. Two-factor authentication has been the solution for some time now but, considering the environmental impact of two-factor authentication tokens, there needs to be a realistic alternative.
A more practical and increasingly popular approach is to use SMS to send a one-time passcode to the user's mobile phone, which allows them to access a system remotely. SMS doesn't require any software to be pre-installed on the device, and messages can be sent to any make and model of phone. It is also a technology that users are familiar with, which keeps training time and support queries to a minimum.
By using the employee's mobile phone for two-factor authentication, businesses can easily enable secure remote access for all users with just a flick of a switch and without having to buy any extra hardware. At a time when security threats are growing and mobile working is increasing in popularity, two-factor authentication to ensure secure remote access is more important than ever.
This secure access technology means that employers can support remote working, the environment and their profits. For example, there are over 700 totally home-based travel agents located in the UK. This has a really positive effect on their company's overheads, staff work-life balance and also their carbon footprint. But with confidential customer details flying around the system they need security at the same time. So, by introducing a mobile phone-based two-factor authentication system that is eco-friendly their IT department is doing their bit as well.
Environmental awareness, along with the positive action now taking place in business is slowly having an effect on working lifestyles. Cutting down on air travel, for example, can make a big, immediate difference but the smaller things are vitally important too. Adopting a two-factor authentication system that does away with the need for another bit of plastic in your pocket may not sound like you are saving the planet but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
photograph www.freedigitalphotos.net
SecurEnvoy is exhibiting at Infosecurity Europe 2008, Europe's number one dedicated Information security event. Now in its 13th year, the show continues to provide an unrivalled education programme, new products & services, over 300 exhibitors and 11,700 visitors from every segment of the industry. Held on the 22nd – 24th April 2008 in the Grand Hall, Olympia, this is a must attend event for all professionals involved in Information Security. www.infosec.co.uk
