More than 40% of businesses do not have security policies around
accessing company data remotely using
mobile devices, research has found.
This figure has almost doubled since 2008, according to research
by security firm SafeNet.
This shows that although a growing number of companies are
allowing remote access to data, fewer are putting policies in place
to protect that data.
According to Vodafone, there was a
30% increase in UK sales in data services in the last three
months of 2008. This was helped by greater mobile PC
connectivity.
Some 45% of organisations are accessing sensitive data,
according to a survey of 250 attendees at the
GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February.
But, only a third of mobile users polled said they were using
secure mobile devices to access or store company information.
The economic downturn may be forcing many companies to cut
budgets, but it could be a bad time to reduce mobile data
protection, said Gary Clark, EMEA vice-president at SafeNet.
"With the world in recession, we are likely to see a rise in ID
fraud and data theft," he said.
Security is a top concern for mobile device manufacturers
seeking to develop new products and services, according to an
industry survey published in February.
Some 70% of mobile-device makers surveyed by security firm
McAfee said addressing mobile security is critical.