UK business at threat from mobile technology, says research
Research commissioned by the security division of distributor Bell Micro has identified a common critical flaw in UK IT security infrastructures, which it says resellers must address.
When questioned, just 62 percent of UK organisations were able to monitor when users copied or moved data from the network onto portable devices or removable media, and a significant proportion (35 percent) were unable to track this at all.
While 94 percent of organisations have some sort of solution in place to ensure lost or stolen portable devices do not present any risk to the company, should they fall into the wrong hands, 92 percent of respondents admitted that they do not have solutions in place which are 100 percent effective. Almost a fifth described their current solutions as poor.
“Despite the media scare stories and industry calls to action, a high proportion of businesses still appear to be blasé about the security threat from mobile devices,” says Ed Callacher, divisional drector at Bell Micro. “As the edge of the network extends outwards and becomes more diverse, the demand of perimeter security has distracted IT professionals from the critical issue of monitoring and managing what is occurring within the network itself. The threat to a business from mobile technologies presents a real opportunity for resellers to make margin from data loss prevention.”
Despite the increasing reliance on mobile technology, the levels of current business monitoring of mobile data - whether on PDAs, notebooks, smartphones, CDs/DVDs, or memory sticks is remarkably poor – in fact 80 percent of UK companies do not have all areas covered in this respect.
“Increasing sales of netbooks, laptops and other mobile business devices are redefining strategies within companies that need to embrace this new class of super portable device,” adds Callacher. “This shift in business thinking represents a whole host of new opportunities for partners who wish to add security to the mix.”
