IT.ie, SonicWall survey finds 10% of office-based workers pirate content on company devices

SMEs advised to strengthen cyber security measures as many companies still lack policy on remote work

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Pictured: Eamon Gallagher, IT.ie and Tristan Bateup, SonicWall

Research carried out by carried out by Censuswide for IT.ie and SonicWall, which found that one in 10 office workers have pirated content on a work device in the last year.

IT.ie, a leading Irish IT managed services company, is today urging SMEs to strengthen their cybersecurity defences as the deadline for the EU’s NIS2 directive approaches.

The research of 1,000 office workers based in Ireland foudnt that almost two-thirds (65%) had used a work device for personal tasks in the last 12 months. Of these, 32% had used it for online shopping, 24% accessed a personal social media account, and 17% used it for streaming movies and TV shows. Furthermore, 9% used their work device for gaming and 7% for gambling.

These figures were significantly higher for the 18-24 age group, where 36% said they checked their social media on a work device, 24% gamed and 17% pirated TV shows or movies.

The survey suggests that these extracurricular activities were more likely to happenfrom home. Just over hald (53%) said they were more inclined to use websites and apps that are not approved by their employer when working remotely. Furthermore, 64% said being in the office made them more vigilant about cyber security.

Despite this, 28% of office workers said they did not use a company-provided VPN (virtual private network) when accessing work systems remotely. In fact, 23% said their employer did not have specific remote working cyber security policies at all.

The research comes as the latest NIS2 Directive deadline approaches, requiring EU member states to provide a list of organisations that will fall under it. It is expected that compliance will be costly, highlighting the financial burden of adequate cybersecurity for SMEs. To address this, IT.ie is launching CyberProtect, a multifaceted solution designed to make cyber security more accessible to SMEs.

Eamon Gallagher, founder and managing director, IT.ie, said: “As the EU-wide NIS2 directive approaches, businesses are now facing the ever-present risk of cyber security attacks, along with the new risk of non-compliance with the Directive. Our research shows that human error – and simple human nature – remain significant risks to businesses. For example, we found that 46% of employees have viewed confidential work documentation in a public place in the last 12 months.

“Such practices should be addressed – and hopefully eliminated – with frequent cybersecurity training. But that must be backed up by combined measures that can help to protect a business if, and when, an employee does make an error. Employees are not acting maliciously, but they do make mistakes. This needs to be countered by simply making it impossible for employees to access pirate websites, gambling sites and many others using their work devices.

Stuart Taylor, regional director for Northern Europe, Sonicwall, added: “These office behaviours, especially in hybrid or remote environments, highlight the importance of a layered security approach – one that extends beyond traditional perimeter defences. Solutions like SonicWall’s layered security architecture integrate advanced threat protection, cloud secure edge, zero-trust access, endpoint control, and secure mobile connectivity can help organisations protect every access point, whether in-office or remote.”

TechCentral Reporters

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