With the growth in both occasional and full-time telecommuting, businesses are cutting corners to save costs, according to a recent Ernst & Young study. But the benefits to the organization may be outweighed by the risks if a few simple precautions aren’t taken. Despite the fact that some security professionals feel this is an “old news story”, I think it deserves more attention. These are still very important findings, especially in the context of managers who have finally been convinced that telecommuting can save the company some overhead, and (in some cases) improve employee morale and productivity.

Allowing employees to use their private home computers introduces many of the same types of risks as opening up the corporate firewalls. There is the very real potential of opening up big holes in the enterprise network that attackers can find irresistable.

Here are five ways you can make your telecommuting program more secure:

Antivirus, antispyware and firewall policy - viruses picked up on home computers can easily spread across corporate networks and between telecommuting employees. Software firewalls, as well as NAT standard routers (even cheap ones) can ensure that traffic to and from home computers is kept under control. Employers should consider paying for protection software and updates to ensure consistent security.

Authorized software installation and update policy - many p2p file sharing and other “home use” programs can allow malicious programs, and just as important, can introduce security vulnerabilities. Free products like Secunia’s PSI (click HERE - unfortunately, it’s just for Windows) can detect out of date software, and can help users keep their systems safe for work usage.

Wireless access policy - obviously, if the employee’s home wireless network is not secured with at least WPA encryption, it is vulnerable to “sniffing” for sensitive content and passwords.

Paper and media storage/disposal policy - home users should be required to keep track of electronic and paper media, and should use shredders ($50 or less) to keep sensitive corporate information from being discovered I garbage or recycled materials. Stored papers, diskettes or CD’s should be placed in locked containers or cabinets.

Network usage policy and guidelines - even with the above safeguards there’s no point in tempting fate. No single antivirus product catches all virus threats. So, the less surfing to risky sites the better.

The bottom line is that if businesses are hoping to gain productivity and increased corporate value by implementing a telecommuting environment, they need to understand that there are some serious precautions that they must take to keep the risks under control - otherwise it’s not worthwhile.