Survey Results

Password Management Survey IT Managers Respond to the Impact of Password Policies on Security and Productivity Survey Reveals Employees are Drowning in Passwords Employee Password Inflation Negatively Impacting Both Security and Productivity; 48% of All Businesses Actively Seeking Password Management Solution

A growing trend for many companies is to implement stronger password policies designed to increase network security. Employees in companies from across all industries find themselves having too many passwords. This trend has forced help desks to constantly field requests for password retrieves and resets, causing a waste of time and valuable resources. In addition, many companies find new password policies only exacerbate their problems and lead to decreased security, increased user frustration, and low employee morale.

In November of 2007 Siber Systems and eMedia conducted a survey in which 600 IT professionals were asked a series of questions about password security, password convenience, as well as current challenges related to password management in their respective organizations. The questions ranged from "What are your primary password management concerns?" to "What percentage of calls to your IT staff consist of password-oriented requests?"

Professionals of all levels and disciplines were represented across many different industries. Executives with titles of Chairman, CEO, President, Principal, Owner, or Vice president accounted for 12% of all respondents. Almost 25% held titles of CIO, CTO, Director, or Security officer. Close to 30% of respondents were either a Manager, Senior System Administrator, or System Administrator. Engineers, Analysts, Architects, and Developers made up 22%. The remaining 11% held titles of Consultant, Coordinator, Professor, Scientist, Dean, or CFO.

The survey, administered through business data company eMedia, found that U.S. workers, managers, and IT staffs alike are increasingly confronted with difficulties arising from computer passwords. Among the most significant findings:

• Too many passwords. Over half of all respondents said the average employee in their firms are required to remember three to five passwords, with an additional 26% saying the number ranges from six to ten or more;
• Passwords required too often. 49% responded that employees are required to use passwords more than 25 times per week, with 8% stating the number of password uses exceed 100 per week;
• Unprotected passwords. 66% stated that employees write down or store passwords in unsafe places, creating a security problem for their companies;
• Better management needed. 48% of responding IT professionals are actively seeking a reliable password management solution.

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