The device dilemma

The tug of war between employees’ mobile demands and IT’s security needs.

“Which devices are employees flocking to? According to the survey, the iPhone, by a long shot. The iPhone has changed the fame or mobile computing ”

Employees are increasingly insisting on using their favorite mobile devices for corporate data and applications access regardless of their company's approved platform, according to a new survey of IT Directors in American and British enterprises. What's more, even when the IT department says no, it appears that employees are attempting to use their own devices anyway, resulting in consequences to the enterprise in terms of not only administrative costs, but even more significantly, security.

Vanson Bourne, an independent technology market research specialist, surveyed 300 IT decision makers in companies of 500 employees or more. The results show a rebellion in the making. Nearly 80 percent of companies reported an increase in the number of employees wanting to bring their own devices into the workplace in the last six to 12 months. In addition, two-thirds of IT managers have been under more pressure to increase compatibility with people's personal handsets in the workplace. The iPhone is by far the most requested device with 82 percent of respondents saying users are most regularly requesting support for this device. Regardless of the device of choice, companies are hearing that they must support each new platform as it gains popularity; three-quarters of the companies in the survey said they must provide support for multiple platforms.

Given how many mobile devices go missing, even one unsecured device creates significant exposure. No CEO or company board of directors wants to face a lawsuit because of employees losing the organization's sensitive data. Yet so many smartphones containing sensitive data are lost or stolen each year. Perhaps what's most concerning is that three-quarters of those surveyed say they are worried that staff will find other ways to access corporate networks through their chosen device, with or without the IT department's help, while nearly 30 percent have experienced a security breach based on the use of an unauthorized device.

Until now, IT directors without a deep bench have had to say no. Saying yes to supporting new platforms and devices meant configuring and securing each device manually - not exactly feasible in a company with hundreds or thousands of employees using half a dozen different platforms. Even then, variable approaches from one device to the next made it difficult to know with certainty that security measures, such as on-device data encryption, were being implemented in a consistent and enterprise-grade manner. IT professionals would much prefer to be able to say yes - just over than half in the US would if they were assured of security and management.

Which devices are employees flocking to? According to the survey, the iPhone, by a long shot. The iPhone has changed the game for mobile computing, and more than 80 percent of respondents are getting requests for iPhone support. At the largest companies in particular (those with 3,000 employees or more), IT managers are also under pressure to support new Android devices and Palm Pre, while continuing to support Windows Mobile and Symbian.

The research validates everything that our customers have told us anecdotally - they want to bridge the gap between the device choice their users are demanding and the management and security they require. With its Good for Enterprise and Good for Government products, Good Technology is uniquely suited to bridge this gap by combining an exceptional user experience for mobile collaboration with government-grade mobile security and management.

For a full version of the report, including a breakdown of responses by geography and company size, please visit www.welcometogood.com/device_dilemma/