Unmanaged Apple devices are a liability for corporations

While people widely use Apple devices for work, lack of security and management of those devices exposes companies to significant liabilities, according to a new survey by Dimensional Research.

Of the total 2,249 U.S. workers surveyed, nearly half (45 percent) use at least one Apple device for work purposes. In addition:

• A majority of those Apple devices (63 percent) are owned by the user as opposed to the company and are used to access work email, corporate documents and business applications
• 59 percent of Macs are used to access confidential company information
• 65 percent of Macs are used to access sensitive or regulated customer information
• 51 percent of iPhones in the workplace are used to gain access to business applications
• 58 percent of iPads in the workplace are used to gain access to business applications.

However, despite the popularity of Apple devices in the workplace, businesses do not invest enough resources to secure or manage them.

• Over half (51 percent) of all devices are secured by a password that is merely a single word or a series of numbers
• Only 28 percent of Apple devices have company-provided device management solutions installed
• Ultimately there is no discernable correlation between password strength and sensitivity of information accessed or accessible from a particular device or user.