Organizations that adopt bring your own device (BYOD) programs without implementing mobile management policies could be exposing to security risks and resultant data losses. A survey of 4,000 full-time employees by technology consulting firm Ovum found that while nearly 70 percent of all smartphone-owning professionals are using their personal device to access corporate data, 80 percent of BYOD activity remains inadequately managed by IT departments.
The survey found nearly half of the respondents’ employers’ IT departments either did not know of BYOD or were ignoring its existence, operating a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, while just 8.1 percent actively discouraged it. Levels of ignorance by IT were significantly higher in mature economies with more rigid working practices, for instance Europe, when compared with high-growth economies such as Brazil, India and South Africa.