Is BYOD the next big security opportunity?
By
Nick Wakeman
A report by our sister publication, GCN, finds the bring-your-own-device phenomenon rife with security problems. And wherever there is a problem, there is sure to be an opportunity.
Take a look at GCN’s report on the bring-your-own-device trend, and you'll see a growth market for security services and solutions.
Pulling from a slew of recent surveys GCN reports some surprising and disturbing facts about what is being called the BYOD phenomenon:
- 81 percent use a personal device for work.
- 66 percent who do say their organizations don’t have a BYOD policy.
- 31 percent connect to their company’s network via free public wi-fi connections.
Surprisingly, the most common personal device used for work was a desktop computer at 56 percent. This was followed by laptops at 51 percent. Smart phones accounted for 38 percent of personal device use, and tablets 15 percent.
That’s the backdrop of the potential business opportunity. Here’s some nitty gritty:
- 65 percent of IT professionals said they don’t have the tools to manage non-company-issued mobile devices.
- 44 percent said they see an increase in help desk requests.
- 40 percent said network traffic is increasing.
Click here for the survey results.
Click here for GCN’s 9 keys to making BYOD work.