A global study conducted by BlackBerry(NASDAQ:BBRY) has revealed that a significant gap between what enterprises understand is putting them at risk with their mobile deployment and how actively they are taking steps to combat those risks.
For organizations with governance, risk and compliance (GRC) demands, this gap leaves them vulnerable to attacks or industry regulation breaches that put them at financial and reputational risk. The survey found that only 35 per cent of executives, risk compliance officers and IT managers within large organizations are very confident that their organization’s data assets are fully protected from unauthorized access via mobile devices. In fact, more than two-thirds believe that mobile devices are the weakest link in their enterprise security framework.
Respondents indicated that they have been too lax in assessing and guarding against risks such as lost or stolen devices, unapproved apps and cloud services, as well as inadequate separation of work and personal use of devices. Consequences in mishandling these issues could lead to immeasurable reputational damage, significant financial penalties and loss of revenue through the loss of trade secrets, or misappropriated customer data. These threats are so critical that 75 per cent of those surveyed believe that their organization's GRC groups should be more involved in developing enterprise mobility strategy.
"It is startlingly clear that mobile technology has transformed daily business faster than most businesses have been able to adapt. Leaders at all levels of organizations around the world are realizing the very real gaps that exist in their technology infrastructure - and the potentially devastating consequences of a breach. As workforces become ever more mobile, BlackBerry leads the industry in developing solutions that provide flexibility without sacrificing security," said John Sims, President of Global Enterprise Services, BlackBerry.
The findings raise serious concerns about the risk exposure faced by enterprises at a time when mobile challenges are growing. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported the number of data breaches their organization has experienced via mobile devices has increased in the last year, and 66 per cent said that it is difficult for their organizations to keep up with emerging mobile trends and security threats.
