Four in 10 organizations have had mobile devices lost or
stolen and half of lost/stolen devices contain business critical data.
More than a third of mobile device losses have had a
financial impact on the organization and two-thirds of companies that had mobile
devices lost/stolen have increased their device security after this loss,
according to a report on the consumerization of IT and its impact on security
by McAfee and Carnegie Mellon’s CyLab.
95 percent of organizations have policies in place in
regard to mobile devices. However, only one in three employees is aware of
their company’s mobile security policies.
More than a third of mobile device losses have had a
financial impact on the organization and two-thirds of companies that had
mobile devices lost/stolen have increased their device security after this
loss.
Data loss remains a huge problem for both consumers and
businesses,” said Todd Gebhart, executive vice president and general
manager, consumer, small business and mobile, McAfee.
Consumers need tools to protect their personal
information and businesses need a way to protect their valuable intellectual
property. This study shows that there is a lot of room for improvement in
terms of education and putting the right tools in place to ensure mobile
security,” Gebhart added.
Almost half of organizations are very reliant on mobile
devices. Almost seven in 10 organizations are more reliant on mobile devices
than they were 12 months ago. The survey also found that 63 percent of
devices on the network are also used for personal activities.
Devices are no longer just consumer devices or business
devices. They are both,” said Richard Power, a CyLab Distinguished Fellow at
Carnegie Mellon University, the primary author of the report McAfee
released “Mobility and Security: Dazzling Opportunities, Profound Challenges.”
Fewer than half of device users are backing up their
mobile data more frequently than on a weekly basis. Around half of device users
keep passwords, pin codes or credit card details on their mobile devices. One
in three users keeps sensitive work-related information on their mobile
devices.
Earlier this year,
McAfee released the McAfee Threats Report: Second Quarter 2011, showing that
the amount of malware targeted at Android devices jumped 76 percent since last
quarter, to become the most attacked mobile operating system.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com