A new international survey shows about half of employees in corporate enterprises use their own mobile devices to connect to corporate systems, raising significant security concerns, according to the survey sponsors.
The report from independent technology research and analysis firm Ovum and the European Association for e-Identity and Security said that about 70% of the employers they surveyed allowed employees to use corporate-owned computing devices for personal use.
The survey found that only half of the organizations it surveyed require corporate devices to be authenticated. And 80% of chief information officers at the firms surveyed believe smartphones at work increase a business' vulnerability to cyber fraud and other attacks.
"Employees will want to use their devices, no matter who owns them, for both their work and personal lives," said Graham Titterington, a principal analyst at London-based Ovum. "Organizations must establish a holistic security strategy that addresses the consumerization of this fast-growing channel into corporate networks and data."
Marcus Klische of the BlackBerry Security Group at Research In Motion added, "Today, more and more mobile applications are saving user data, accessing corporate networks and tracking movements. The need for the devices to be properly tested, configured and secured is therefore crucial."
