Increasing demand for tablets, smartphones in the workplace causes concern over app access, security for IT managers, Cisco survey finds.
There’s no doubt mobile technologies will drive change in IT shops in 2012, and a recent Cisco Systems sponsored survey shows that IT managers around the world worry about security, app access and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend.
Cisco commissioned Redshift Research to survey some 1,500 IT managers and executives in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany and Spain to get an idea of the attitudes, fears and reactions IT managers are having to personal devices such as tablets and smartphones in the workplace. The survey found that more than half (51%) of those polled are experiencing an increase in the number of employees bringing their own devices to work. While nearly half (48%) said their companies wouldn’t authorize employees to BYOD, but 57% did admit that some employees use personal devices without consent. The highest reported use (64%) of personal devices in the workplace was in the U.S.
The fear, uncertainty and doubt the survey highlighted comes into play when employees expect to access company resources with their personal devices. IT managers surveyed said that access to company servers was a “huge problem” as was devices being lost or stolen (64%). And 44% indicated that “handling BYOD issues” diverts the IT organization’s attention away from other important projects.
Part of the problem, according to these survey results, is that when managing tablets and other personal devices, new rules and security policies must be established around device usage, according to 75% of U.S. IT managers surveyed. Almost half (48%) of all IT managers surveyed said that access to company applications needs to be restricted and the majority of those polled globally agreed that custom applications would need to be developed and would benefit business. Among the apps that most agreed should be tablet-ready were e-mail and document sharing. Another half said that video conferencing, IM, access to company databases and “seamless synchronization with other business devices” were desirable features.
“Mobile workers and virtual workspaces are here to stay — but so are the demands on IT to continue to ensure enterprise-grade security, manageability and interoperability,” said Tom Puorro, director of product management, IPCBU, Cisco Systems, in a statement.
What is your company’s policy on personal devices the workplace? Is your IT department prepping mobile-ready apps to be used on tablets and smartphones? Please leave a comment here, let me know via Twitter @DDubie or e-mail me directly at Denise.Dubie@ca.com.
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