BYOD Programs Hampered by Security Issues

One of the major challenges in the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) space is the difficulty in tracking deployed assets, according to a report from Infinity Research.

After the deployment of mobile devices in organizations, tracking them is difficult even with the implementation of BYOD security solutions, the report found.

Among they key players in the global BYOD security market are AirWatch, Citrix Systems, Fiberlink Communications, Good Technology and MobileIron.

According to the report, one of the major drivers in this market is the need for enhanced mobile communication security. Mobile device management (MDM) enterprise software allows organizations to effectively optimize their security and functionality, thereby reducing the risk of data loss.

The study indicated the effective implementation of BYOD security solutions helps protect and control data and configuration across mobile devices in an organizational network.

“The growing globalization of organizations has led to an increased need for enterprise mobility. Enterprise mobility helps organizations exchange data and information without any time and location constraints,” the report said. “Hence, organizations have been increasingly adopting BYOD policies to implement enterprise mobility.”

Because of the difficulty in protecting all the deployed assets, whether they are smartphones, tablets or other employee-owned devices, this reduces the effectiveness of a BYOD security setup, which in turn discourages enterprises from adopting BYOD security solutions.

“With the implementation of a BYOD policy, employees can use their personal devices to handle their organization’s data,” the report said. “This increases the need for BYOD security solutions as such solutions provide data security and enable better handling of data.”

The Infinity Research study is the latest in a long line of reports documenting the difficulty of successfully implementing a BYOD program.

Immature policies are putting sensitive organizational and employee data at risk, and the initiative’s value for many organizations is currently mediocre at best, according to an August survey of more than 1,500 IT leaders and 2,000 IT professionals conducted on behalf of Teksystems.

More than half of IT leaders and 65 percent of IT professionals reported that their employers fall within one of three extremes regarding their BYOD policy: either “nothing has been communicated,” “there are no official policy guidelines,” or “employees are not allowed to use their own devices at work.”

The number of employee-owned smartphones and tablets used in the enterprise will exceed 1 billion by 2018, as the growing trend of BYOD redefines business connectivity, according to a November report from analytics firm Juniper Research.