95 percent of employers are concerned about security risks from BYOD

Allowing employees to use their own devices is an increasingly popular trend, but BYOD opens up security threats that can leave company data vulnerable. A new survey commissioned by security specialists Webroot looks at the reality of mobile security.

In particular it focuses on the difference in perception between companies and employees when it comes to securing mobile devices. Whilst there are some areas of agreement there are also signs that some employees don't take adequate steps to protect company data.

The results show that over 40 percent of employees are using mobile devices at work and around three quarters of those are using their own kit. The youngest group, 18-34 year-olds, is more likely than other age groups to use smartphones/tablets for work, regardless of whether they are personal or employer-issued devices.

Most worrying is that 70 percent of employee devices only have the security which came installed when the device was purchased. However, 73 percent believe they should have some say over what security is installed on their device by an employer.

On the employer side findings include that whilst 98 percent of those surveyed have a BYOD policy in place, 95 percent are still concerned about the security risks. Almost 40 percent of IT departments are not confident they could remove security software from the personal devices of users without wiping the device or risking deleting personal data and contacts.

Also, 34 percent of IT managers say they disagree that gains in employee productivity from using personal devices for work outweigh the risks associated with this activity.

In order to bridge the gap between employee preferences and the needs of the organization Webroot has created an 'employee bill of rights' to set out what employees should expect when using their own devices at work.

This includes maintaining privacy over personal information, being included in decisions which affect their device and being able to stop using their personal device for work at any time. You can find more information on the Webroot site.

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