Verizon’s 2020 Mobile Security Index paints a bleak picture for organizations today.
According to the index–based on a survey of more than 850 professionals responsible for managing mobile devices in their respective workplaces–43% of organizations have sacrificed security for one or a multitude of reasons. 43%!
And, according to Verizon, 39% of respondents “reported having a mobile-security related compromise,” 66% of which called the impact of the compromise major, and 55% of which said it had lasting repercussions.
Even more shocking than the number of organizations that have knowingly sacrificed security is their reasons for doing so. While you might expect budget limitations to be a driving factor, expediency, convenience, and profitability targets (cited by 62%, 52%, and 46% respectively) took the lead. Put another way, while budget is a factor, when it’s easier for organizations to push security to the side to get something done faster, many have or will.
This is something we’ve talked about time and time again as it relates to enterprise mobility: if it’s easier for your employees to use unsanctioned (and often unsecure) solutions than it is to use official company apps, that’s what they’ll usually do. While mobile apps–and enterprise mobility as a whole–are designed to make employees more productive, unless they’re easy to use, you won’t see the intended effect.
In much the same way, unless it’s easy for administrators and others to enable mobile security and account for risks, they’ll feel pressure to side skirt proper security practices despite knowing that it puts the organization at risk. Verizon’s survey as described above is proof enough of that.
While there’s no one solution, a “security first” focus in all parts of the organization goes a long way towards preventing problems. On the administrative end, you must take care to ensure your employees are properly resourced to account for security–and that they are encouraged to build out more secure options even if they take longer to develop. And on the user end, your mobility solutions absolutely must be designed with ease of use in mind. If it’s not easy to be secure, users won’t do it. Simple as that.
Verizon’s full report is worth a read, as it sheds good light on why and how security-related decisions are made in the enterprise. Knowing, after all, is half the battle.
To learn about how App47 can help you maintain mobile security, contact us today. We’d love to hear from you!
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Photo by Miłosz Klinowski on Unsplash
