IT staff are ‘overworked and underpaid’

Employees in IT departments do too much work for too little money, according to one commentator.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security software developer Sophos, claimed the pressure placed on workers in this sector means that, although they are aware company’s computers are at risk from viruses and hackers, the IT teams often do not have the “right resources and money” to handle security issues seriously.

He said: “I think the problem, generally, is that the IT teams are overstretched, overworked [and] underpaid.”

Consequently, there is not necessarily a lack of awareness in the corporate environment about the need to fully patch PCs and have basic security – such as antivirus software and firewalls properly installed – but a lack of funds in the budget to cope with the demands of the department.

Around 90 per cent of corporate PCs are a currently a security risk because they are not fully patched, or do not have basic security properly installed, according to research by Sophos.