Feb 28, 2014

As businesses incorporate mobile devices into their regular processes, sharing sensitive information on this hardware will still require substantial security. Because a majority of organizations don’t fully understand the implications of mobile, it will be integral to ensure that employee devices are protected.

Bring your own device (BYOD) has substantially changed how workers operate, but many still struggle to prevent risks from emerging. According to a recent industry survey of more than 2,000 decision-makers and employees in U.S. and European firms, two-thirds of respondents are unable to identify common threats in mobile security, FierceMobileIT reported. In addition, more than 50 percent of participants experienced at least one major security breach within the past year, despite 91 percent of respondents believing that their current controls are sufficient enough to deal with such hazards and ensure safe mobile data access.

A majority of employers (89 percent) also noted that they have constant oversight into employee activities on their personal devices, while employees are unsure what capabilities their management has in regard to hardware governance. In order to mitigate a potential backlash for this situation, it will be critical to create a policy for device use and spell out what security measures IT will enable.

While the battle of data protection has long been on the desktop and laptop front, it’s making the shift to mobile devices. The Australian noted that the considerable growth of smartphones in the workplace is presenting the biggest security threat in enterprises. Malware on the devices from sites and malicious applications could compromise sensitive business information, making it important to exclusively use a secure mobile file sharing solution. As more pressure is placed on organizations to serve the remote workforce, decision-makers must ensure that they provide the right tools that will enable protection without sacrificing the solution’s functionality.