Survey Says -- 92 Percent of Corporates Enable Remote Access, Despite Fact That 44 Percent Believe Their Data Networks Are No Better Than "Quite" Secure

SOMERSET, NJ--(Marketwire - May 6, 2009) - Demand for remote access capabilities has never been greater and the latest survey from AEP Networks shows that 92 percent of organizations questioned allow their employees to work remotely or on the move. This is despite the fact that network threats are on the increase and 44 percent of respondents believe that their networks are no more than "quite" secure. Interestingly, no one thought that unauthorized data access would have a minimal impact on their business, while 29 percent believe this would cause major, long-term damage. The rest ranged between these two poles with 61 percent taking the middle ground or tipping the balance towards more significant harm.

When asked about the likely impact of data loss on their organisation only three percent believed that jobs would be lost and the same number would expect no real impact at all. However, a massive 53 percent thought that data loss would result in a negative impact on their business reputation. Customer relationships would be damaged for 22 percent and 19 percent felt that the impact would be felt directly in the bottom line.

Pat Donnellan, CEO of AEP Networks, commented, "The survey is an interesting snapshot of the market today. Easy access to corporate data is a necessity in the modern world, which makes data security essential. We found that 83 percent of remote workers carry corporate data on their laptops and mobile devices despite the perceived impact of data loss and unauthorized data access on the business as a whole. Security is paramount and we found that the majority are relying on VPN security (61 percent) to provide adequate protection for their remote access needs. And, the good news is that customers really recognize the threats and they are responding. In fact, almost 69 percent of those who responded to our survey plan to increase their investment in remote security over the next 12 months."

The survey was completed online by 160 organizations of varying size and type. Half of the respondents work within organisations of more than 500 employees, with a turnover of more than £6 million.

About AEP Networks

AEP Networks offers secure communications, networking and application access for government, enterprise and carriers. We work with systems integrators, managed service providers and the distribution channel to deliver integrated solutions incorporating our leading edge products:

--  Enhanced-grade secure voice and multi-service data platforms (based on
    the vadOS operating system) that support a wide range of communications
    protocols and network topologies
    
--  High assurance networking via IPsec-based VPN encryptors for site-to-
    site security and remote access
    
--  Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) for cryptographic key management and
    storage
    
--  Secure remote access to networks and applications -- including virtual
    environments -- via application-layer security gateways and SSL VPNs.
    

Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, AEP Networks has key hub offices in the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Australia. For more information, visit www.aepnetworks.com