Mobile security budgets aren't keeping pace with demand for devices

mobile-security

Although mobile devices are becoming essential in many workplaces security budgets are failing to reflect the growing numbers of devices that need protection.

This is among the findings of a new report by electronics and systems specialist Raytheon. According to the research around one-third of employees use mobile devices exclusively to do their work and this is expected to increase to an average of 47 percent of employees in the next year.

Despite this anticipated growth, 64 percent of those surveyed claim they don't currently or expect to have sufficient budget to mitigate or curtail mobile device cyber security threats. A majority of respondents, 52 percent, say that security practices on mobile devices have been sacrificed in order to improve employee productivity. In addition 60 percent believe employees have become less diligent in practicing good mobile security.

Of the 618 IT and IT security professionals surveyed 75 percent say it's important to secure employees' mobile devices but only 50 percent are happy with their current solution. A virtualized approach is popular with 57 percent of respondents. The methods most often used are mobile device management and secure containers.

"This survey points to the fact that there is a struggle to find the right balance between the cyber security needs of an organization and the efficiencies demanded by employees to do their jobs," says Ashok Sankar, senior director of product management and strategy at Raytheon Cyber Products. "Mobile devices are becoming a dominant workplace tool, and organizations must adopt a mobile strategy with data security technologies that enable employees to work effectively without putting sensitive information at risk".

Despite the risks, allowing BYOD is seen as important for productivity. 48 percent of respondents say the biggest incentive for BYOD is ensuring employees are always connected. Interestingly 67 percent prefer to use a web-based approach to delivering services on mobile rather than develop native apps.

The full report is available via the Raytheon website and you can view a summary of the findings in infographic form below.

IIS14-184-02r1

Image Credit: Anan Chincho / Shutterstock

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