Security still a barrier to mobility, survey finds

17 Oct 2012

Security, data loss and compliance are key concerns for companies interested in implementing mobile applications, according to a new survey from Integralis.

Mobile business applications have the potential to transform our businesses, say company bosses, but what about the security risks? In a recent survey of 300 UK-based executives, more than three-quarters (76 percent) said they plan to adopt these apps in the next 12 months, but they're still concerned about security, potential loss of data and compliance issues, according to the study commissioned by security specialist, Integralis.

The trend towards mobile devices in the workplace continues to grow, with 58 percent of respondents saying that they expect to adopt personal information management applications - such as email, calendaring and contacts - in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, collaboration tools such as Dropbox and Sharepoint will be deployed by just over one-third (35 percent), the survey shows. Communications apps, like Skype, are likely to be adopted by 44 percent, while 39 percent of respondents said they plan to offer access to internal apps to employee on the move.

But despite the potential gains in productivity, flexibility and efficiency offered by mobile business applications, 28 percent of respondents still do not allow them to be downloaded to mobile devices. More than half (54 percent) cited managing security as a key concern and 44 percent pointed to data protection and compliance issues. They're also anxious about how the shift to mobile business apps will be funded and the impact they will have on current IT resources, at 34 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

 

Even so, 13 percent have no policies in place or being enforced over the downloading of mobile business apps by employees, potentially leaving them vulnerable.

"Our research findings demonstrate the continuing trend towards BYOD adoption and the demand for the development of mobile business applications," said Alastair Broom, product marketing director at Integralis, in a statement. "It also highlights that security and compliance continue to be at the forefront of concerns about employee-owned/shared devices. For companies to be able to exploit the potential benefits of collaborative and remote working, these concerns have to be addressed. We understand the importance of enabling organisations to effectively protect themselves from loss or theft of information, intrusion, downtime and loss of revenue through the misuse of mobile devices."