89 percent of people don’t worry about the security of the work files stored on their mobile phones, according to the results of a survey by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International. That means 11 percent, or about 1 in 10 professionals are concerned about cybercriminals gaining access to the confidential information kept in their handsets. Given this kind of attitude, companies following the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) business model might want to take a closer look at how well protected their data actually is.
Going by the responses received through the survey, Kaspersky has separated the kinds of information stored by participants in their personal smartphones. 36 percent of those quizzed said they keep work files, and 34 percent claimed to pile office-related emails on their mobiles. What may be more unsettling is the fact that 11 percent admitted to hoarding passwords to their company’s networks or virtual private networks, while 18 percent reported having the watchwords to corporate mail accounts in their devices.
Considering the low percentage of participants who confessed to being anxious about the security of work-related content on their phones, businesses would do well to allot enough resources towards preventing cybercriminals from stealing sensitive secrets from their employees’ handsets. When securing a corporate network, attention must be paid to compatibility between all devices connected to it.
Qualified IT technicians could be hired to deliver centralized management for all mobiles within the network. Administrators must be able to see to it that the necessary apps are installed, updated or removed. Data access levels and staff privileges need to be dealt with. Additionally, companies should have an emergency plan for remotely wiping data ready in case an employee loses their handset.
Kaspersky offers mobile security solutions for organizations keen on ensuring the safety of sensitive data stored on their employees’ smartphones. The software package includes a single console from which various devices and the applications installed on them can be controlled. Remote management of lost or stolen gadgets is also provided, so are protections from malware and similar cyber-threats.