What Enterprises Think About Mobile-Device Security

Spurred by the boom in mobile workforces, Infonetics Research analysts recently asked purchase-decisionmakers at 115 North American companies that have deployed mobile security solutions questions regarding their buying strategies, spending, deployment drivers and barriers, cloud and SaaS solutions. Most companies admit to security breaches.

"The enterprise mobile-device security market is poised to explode for one simple reason: all over the world, employees are replacing desktops and laptops with smartphones and tablets, and IT departments are scrambling to connect those devices and then protect them,” says Jeff Wilson, principal analyst/Security at Infonetics Research. “Success selling security solutions in this space is really about two things: allowing an IT department to connect all the devices they want or need to connect, and providing a consistent level of security policy and enforcement for all those devices," ??

Here’s what enterprises are saying about security:

>> Nearly all found (or had users report) malicious apps downloaded onto a device.?

>> 64 percent reported that users’ devices containing sensitive or proprietary data had been lost or stolen, but few had specific solutions in place to protect those devices.

>> There is significant education needed in the market regarding how to protect “data at rest” on devices and “data in motion,” and how to blend the two types of protection.

>> When asked to name the top three vendors for each of eight mobile-security buying criteria (e.g., technology, pricing, service and support), Cisco, Symantec and McAfee came out on top for every criterion. (For more information on McAfee, click here).

>> When asked about barriers to making new investments in mobile-device security solutions, enterprises named “cost” and “difficulty keeping solutions patched and updated” first, followed by the belief that the device operating system (OS) provides adequate security.?

>> Looking at how the individual mobile platforms drive the need for security solutions, there is near parity: 65 percent of respondents are worried about threats aimed at Apple iOS, 62 percent worry about BlackBerry devices and 59 percent have Android keeping them up at night (most companies use a mix of platforms at the same time, a trend that will continue indefinitely).?