Mobility Causes Pain Points for IT Organizations

By now, it's apparent to just about everyone that digital technologies are both a blessing and a curse. They create new opportunities but also introduce bold new challenges. Mobility is at the center of this universe. It has revolutionized the enterprise, but it has also unleashed new risks and dangers—many revolving around bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and bring-your-own-apps (BYOA) initiatives. A new "Mobile Security Report" from cyber-security firm Spikes Security offers some insights into the state of mobile security. Among the key findings: Malicious exposures are common, a lack of knowledge about risks and prevention is prevalent, and the use of insecure devices and networks is near epidemic. The good news is that IT professionals are aware of these problems. "Nearly all respondents—99 percent—have concerns about mobile security," said Peter Tsai, IT content manager at Spiceworks. Franklyn Jones, CMO of Spikes Security, added: "The same challenges that IT security teams have had to deal with for on-premise users now apply to the growing number of mobile users. … The key difference is that, while on-premise network security is fairly mature, many organizations are still trying to understand how best to protect mobile users." The study is based on a Spiceworks survey of 160 IT professionals from organizations of 100 or more employees. Here's a look at some of the study's key findings and what IT leaders can do to mitigate dangers.