News
Mobile devices leave organisations dangerously exposed to cybercrime
November 2016 by Ovum
A new report, ’On the Radar’, from research company Ovum shines a light on the extent of the mobile security
problem affecting businesses of every size around the globe. It exposes the
inadequate level of mobile device protection offered by most mainstream endpoint
security providers who have failed to keep pace with market requirements and the
subsequent threat this has created for businesses who are unwittingly exposed to
cybercriminals. The report highlights how businesses must urgently prioritize
securing user mobility outside the traditional perimeter and cites the Cyber adAPT
platform as providing the missing security layer that the majority of enterprise
mobility management (EMM) deployments lack.
This ’On the Radar’ report expands on Ovum research from earlier this year,
conducted with more than 4,500 respondents across 20 geographic markets. Respondents
show that 47 percent of employees use their own smartphone to access corporate data,
25 percent use their own tablet, and 8 percent are now experimenting with wearables
to keep up to date with work-related issues.
Analyst Andrew Kellett of Ovum states, "This report shows that we are waking up to a
new work-life paradigm, and one that isn’t well enough supported by yesterday’s
notions of security. People expect to be highly connected, with unrestricted access
to business systems and this is the new challenge for security platform vendors."
The research also shows that 62 percent of respondents are using two or more mobile
devices for work daily and less than 30 percent of them have any device management
or security functionality on those devices.
Kellett continues, "It is essential that businesses embrace security outside of the
traditional perimeter, rather than treat it as an extension of a Windows-first
endpoint protection strategy."
Ovum’s ’On the Radar’ report commends the Cyber adAPT platform, "This is the problem
that Cyber adAPT is attempting to tackle. Its ongoing mission is to secure devices
remote to the core network as robustly as a networked desktop PC or laptop device.
The company recognizes that it is critical to do this by placing user mobility at
the center of the solution."
Research Highlights:
– 41 percent of respondents use three or more mobile devices for work daily,
which highlights the scale of the problem and the threat-opportunity it presents.
Further emphasizing the threat that mobile device usage represents.
– Less than 30 percent of employees, who use personal devices for work, have
had any kind of EMM or security software installed on their devices.
– 60 percent of employees use at least one of their own mobile devices to
access corporate data; 47 percent use their own smartphone; 25 percent their own
tablet.
– 8 percent are now experimenting with wearables, as wearable technology is
said to help them keep up to date with work-related issues.
"Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) have been treating mobile like any
other endpoint, building up their perimeters with point solutions from desktop
legacy providers," says Cyber adAPT chief technology officer, Scott Millis. "This
often frustrates users with aggravating experiences and leaves the business open to
very specialized mobile attacks. Highly secure mobility is invisible at the point
of use and because it is built to operate around their behavior, empowers them to
conduct their business wherever they are."
To learn more about Cyber adAPT or to read the full report, visit cyberadapt.com/Ovum
