Cost-Effective Remote Access Proves Elusive

Computerworld - Everyone says they want security. They don't. Deep down, end users don't care. They want MP3 downloads, and damn the viruses. They want a blank password, and if forced to have one, they want Windows to remember it for them.
This leaves me with a problem. If these carefree people design and implement insecure systems or use them in an insecure way, I may get fired. If they stumble across systems that are very secure (hopefully because I nudged them in the right direction), I'm seen as unnecessary and may get fired.
So I've decided that I can't worry only about security but instead must include cost savings. If my team keeps cutting costs, then whether or not we have incidents, we'll be invited to stay.
I've spent the past few days debating how we can save costs in our remote-access systems while maintaining adequate security. We have a high-cost/ high-security approach at the moment. Finance wants a low-cost system. It would be easy to offer a low-cost/low-security answer, but the tricky bit is to discover a low-cost/high-security fix.
Remote Controls
We spend a great deal of money on remote access. We use Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and analog dial-in for remote access and support. Not only do we have many staffers who globe-trot, phoning in from astoundingly expensive hotel phones, but we also place equipment permanently in the homes of IT support staffers so they can provide shift cover.
Some of our high-speed ISDN end users claim to use the system all the time, but our bills show that some use it for only five minutes per quarter. If we could get them off of dedicated lines while still providing the same service, we could save big on line rentals.
Other people configure their home systems to check for e-mail every five minutes. This automatically brings up the long-distance connections to the office, and the costs add up. To add insult to injury, many of these users have high-speed cable or Digital Subscriber Line Internet connections. These always-on, fixed-price services are much cheaper than the ISDN service we offer.
The IT support users aren't thrilled about the systems we want them to cart home. Some support technicians are annoyed at having to step away from their hot-rod UFO-style game machines with huge flat panels and use the steam-powered 17-in. CRT computers we give them. We could let them use their high-powered machines and their always-on connections to access their work data over the Internet, but the lack of