Security and performance fears hobble VPN take-up

NEWS However, a survey undertaken by Claire Cook of Rhetorik found that among those who installed VPNs, cost savings on corporate data and voice traffic are "a compelling argument for implementation." The survey was compiled from 469 interviews with IT directors and senior managers in France, Germany and the UK. Security was seen as a main concern by 48 per cent and performance by 38 per cent. Commenting on the research, Cook said almost a third of respondents feel there is a lack of knowledge and understanding in the market. "This seems to be one of the key barriers to uptake of VPN technology," she said. Cook's figures suggest that a little over a quarter of European organisations (26 per cent) currently use VPN, but another 11 per cent are considering it in the short-term. Levels of satisfaction among users were towards 80 per cent. Rhetorik is a market research company working exclusively with networking, convergence and e-commerce industries. By Geoffrey Davies