| Businesses are slow to
deploy mobile security
10 April, 2006
By Chris Talbot
According to a Symantec-sponsored study by the Economist
Intelligence unit, security concerns are the biggest obstacle
to the widespread adoption of wireless and remote computing
in businesses worldwide today.
The study found that more than 60 per cent of companies are
holding back on deployment, citing security concerns. Close
to 47 per cent cited cost and complexity as a major obstacle
to deployment. Almost one in five businesses has already experienced
financial loss due to attacks via mobile data platforms.
While 82 per cent of businesses worldwide indicated they
see the damage from virus attacks as the same or greater on
a mobile network than on a fixed network, only 26 per cent
have actually assessed security risks of smart phones, compared
with 81 per cent of enterprises conducting security assessments
for laptops. Despite the proliferation of mobile device use
in the enterprise, only nine per cent of companies have incorporated
a comprehensive security architecture designed to include
mobile device access. Of the rest, 10 per cent of companies
have no measures for addressing mobile security, 39 per cent
are granting mobile devices access to corporate networks on
an ad hoc basis and another 39 per cent are integrating mobile
devices into their existing fixed network security architecture.
"It's prudent for enterprises to gain experience in mobile
deployments and security before a serious attack makes it
mandatory and time critical," said Paul Miller, director
mobile and wireless solutions at Symantec. "In today's
enterprise, there are multiple end points to account for --
and proper protection cannot be tackled as one-size-fits-all.
While most enterprises are aware of the risks introduced with
mobility, they continue to lack the appropriate security measures
and policies required to protect themselves from potential
threats."
"Security is the one particular issue that continues
to impede the widespread adoption of mobile computing in the
workplace and if it continues to be overlooked there is a
danger that some businesses will miss the advantages mobility
can bring to their workforces," said Gareth Lofthouse,
director of custom research at the Economist Intelligence
Unit.
The "Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume
IX," published in March 2006, stated that malicious code
that targets mobile devices, particularly smart phones, continued
to grow through the second half of 2005. The report also highlighted
several new examples of malicious code for smart phones, including
Cardtrp, which was the first cross-platform threat with the
ability to affect both Symbian and Windows operating systems.
"A coherent strategy for mobile security would work
towards alleviating the concerns of many enterprises. Companies
can begin leveraging mobile technology as a competitive advantage
by adding mobile protection to 5 or 10 per cent of their mobile
workforce and heeding to best practices. This measured approach
will help tremendously in preparing for major deployment,"
Miller said.
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