IT managers might be aware of the security problems of laptops but they aren't willing to enforce security protocols according to a new report.

The study, 'Stress of Security' checked 500 large European companies and ffound barely one in five took steps to protect laptops being used outside the office. Over two thirds felt the user was responsible for security if a laptop was used outside of the building.

"These findings show that by not managing laptop usage outside the office, European businesses can leave themselves open to attack," said Geoff Haggart, European vice president of Websense, who commissioned Dynamic Markets to conduct the study.

"Too many companies have placed the burden of using laptops responsibly directly on their employees, and can only hope that employees exercise caution when using their laptops outside the corporate firewall. We recommend that businesses educate employees on the hidden dangers of the internet and take steps to protect the corporate network by implementing employee internet management software and corresponding usage policies."

Even though 71 per cent of IT managers recognised the laptop could be a security problem one in ten didn't know if their company had a laptop usage policy and seven per cent had no antivirus or firewall software on corporate machines.

"It's outrageous that employees are being placed at risk of compromised security just because they don?t come into the company headquarters every day," said Philip Stanfield, mobility expert from UK management consultants Morse.

"Businesses need to change their attitude towards managing their mobile workforce so that there are security policies in place to ensure secure internet use before any employee is even given a company laptop. Essentially, businesses need to put in place mobility strategies that take security, as well as a whole host of other issues, into account otherwise they simply won't get the full benefits mobility is supposed to bring."