While BYOD is a known trend, its actual impact and adoption varies, depending on who you ask. According to a recent study from security vendor Blue Coat, IT staff and employees tend to view BYOD in different ways. While 71 percent of employees reported that they used their own devices to access corporate IT, IT staff in the same survey said they believed 37 percent of employees were accessing the network with non-corporate devices.
A study from security vendor Webroot seems to confirm there are a large number of employee-owned devices. It reports that 73 percent of companies now have a mix of company- and employee-owned mobile devices.
BYOD creates significant potential to impact enterprise networks as unknown devices can introduce new risks. However, IT staff and employees also have different views on risk, according to Blue Coat’s results. Nearly 80 percent of IT managers rated the risk of malware infecting the enterprise network from mobile devices as moderate to very high. In stark contrast, 88 percent of employees reported that their mobile devices were somewhat or very secure.
The Webroot survey also emphasizes that managing BYOD security isn’t easy, with 83 percent of respondents saying it’s a tough task. That said, 64 percent of respondents said the cost savings of allowing BYOD outweigh the potential security challenges.
To mitigate potential risks of BYOD, it’s important to have some form of BYOD security controls or policies. Yet according to the Webroot study, only 48 percent of enterprises currently have a mobile security plan. This means the market is ripe for solutions, which vendors are now rushing to provide.
Read the full story at eSecurity Planet:
BYOD Demand Grows as Vendors Offer Solutions
Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.