Global Mobile Trends See Rise in BYOD — and Security Concerns

A recent global survey conducted by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (CIBSG) found that 89 percent of IT leaders from enterprise and mid-sized companies supported BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in some form – supporting the movement toward an increase in personal device use in the workplace.

A recent global survey conducted by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (CIBSG) found that 89 percent of IT leaders from enterprise and mid-sized companies supported BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) in some form – supporting the movement toward an increase in personal device use in the workplace.

Polling from the United States and major countries in Latin America, Asia and Europe, the survey reported that 60 percent of employees use a mobile device for work, with an anticipated increase in number of devices per employee. Whether it’s multiple laptops, smartphones or tablet computers, the number of devices will rise from 2.3 per employee in 2012 to 2.8 in 2014.

Average Number of BYOD Devices

Although BYOD is already happening whether we’re ready for it or not, the report finds that, actually, we’re not really ready. Only half of enterprises and 41 percent of mid-sized firms have an employee network access policy in place for mobile devices, according to Cisco. As a result, companies are left vulnerable to mobile malware, viruses and network intrusion – 26 percent of companies globally find security to be the top BYOD challenge.

Security Tops BYOD Challenge

Yet despite the challenge of security, the top benefit recognized across the board includes increased productivity and collaboration, at 18 percent. The increased ease of access to work applications and data allows for employees to work at anytime, anywhere. Data available in the cloud also allows for collaboration between employees.

Find out how to handle mobile security in your workplace by reading our Mobile Security white paper. This white paper explores approaches to mobile security from risk assessment (what data are truly at risk), enterprise architecture (protect the data before the devices), policies and technologies, and concludes with an example of a mobile security architecture designed and implemented within a hospital environment in which both enabling caregivers and protecting privacy, integrity, and confidentiality are paramount.

References:

The Global Phenomenon: BYOD
BYOD: A Global Perspective Survey Report by Cisco IBSG (PDF)