Survey says... organisations understand mobile risks and benefits

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 22 February 2012 15:01

Business IT - Security

Organisations are reaping the benefits of mobility, according to Symantec's 2012 State of Mobility survey. But they also understand security is an important consideration.

A global survey carried out for Symantec shows almost 60% of organisations are already giving mobile access to line of business applications, Sean Kopelke, Symantec's director of specialist solutions for the Pacific region, told iTWire, with two-thirds planning to make in-house (and presumably bought-in) applications available through a corporate app store.

This approach is improving agility and efficiency, he said. 73% of respondents said they expected greater efficiency through the adoption of mobile technologies, and 74% said they had achieved it.

While there are concerns - mainly relating to security - organisations see "obvious big benefits" from mobile technologies, and are therefore taking a proactive approach.

Symantec's advice is that existing security processes should be adapted for mobile technology. That includes polices, processes, education and technologies such as endpoint protection, Mr Kopelke explained. In particular, management tools for mobile devices should fit into existing frameworks.

"Most [Symantec] customers are embracing mobility," he said, and they are now looking beyond the basics such as password enforcement and remote wiping of lost or stolen devices to more specific controls such as limiting access to particular apps, more rigorous user authentication, and backup mechanisms that allow replacement device to be completely reprovisioned with minimal effort.

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