Sixty-Two Percent of Organizations Allow Employees to Use Personal Mobile Devices for Work, According to New InformationWeek Reports Research

24% are developing a policy for personal mobile device use

May 22, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports (http://reports.informationweek.com), a service provider for peer-based IT research and analysis, released 2012 State of Mobile Security, a new report featuring results from InformationWeek's recent 2012 Mobile Security Survey. The report helps IT professionals identify mobile security risks and strategies for managing them. More than 300 business technology professionals responded to the survey.

Research summary: Even though nearly 90% of the 322 respondents to InformationWeek's 2012 Mobile Security Survey permit use of personally owned devices now or are moving in that direction, just 40% limit the range of devices supported and require that users connect them to a mobile device management system.

Findings: 

  • 84% of respondents identify lost or stolen devices as a key mobile security concern.
  • 31% cite mobile malware on applications from public app stores as a top concern; however, 42% allow employees to install personal applications on personally owned mobile devices accessing corporate data with no restrictions.
  • 87% say securing data on mobile devices is somewhat or very important, but just 14% mandate hardware encryption for corporate data stored on mobile devices.
  • 48% have had a mobile device containing enterprise data come up missing within the past 12 months; 12% report that this data loss required public disclosure.

The report author, Michael Finneran, is an independent consultant and industry analyst specializing in wireless technologies, mobile policy development and mobile unified communications.

For full access to the research data, members can download now: http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/18/8792/Mobility-Wireless/research-2012-state-of-mobile-security.html?cid=rpt_press_rls

"Allowing employees to use personal mobile devices for work may mean increased productivity, but it also means significant security risk," says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Reports. "Mobile security is data security, and companies need to ensure that their information is secure."

For more information:
Art Wittmann    
VP & Managing Director, InformationWeek Reports
415-947-6361
awittmann@techweb.com

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