Do mobile devices in the workplace create security problems?

The role of IT managers has changed drastically in a short period of time – revolutionized by smart mobile devices and increased remote connection tools. While end users in the workforce are rapidly making use of these advances, IT managers are trying to find the best way to maintain control of their IT environments.

LANDesk surveyed 193 IT managers and administrators in medium-to-large size enterprise organizations. Of those surveyed, 96 percent reported that end users in their organizations are now using two or more computing devices in the workplace; however, only 75 percent reported that they are actually managing two or more devices per user.

This disconnect shows that end users are adopting more devices quicker than IT managers can keep pace.

Additional survey findings include:

• 44 percent of those surveyed said at least part of their workforce works remotely.
• 77 percent of those surveyed said end users use their personal mobile devices in the workplace.
• 54 percent of those surveyed reported that they do not currently have a security strategy for mobile devices in place.
• 37 percent of those surveyed reported that they deal with more than 10 malware incidents a month.

“Virtually everything we read in the press and hear firsthand from our customers, points to the fact that IT is on the cusp of a radical change, and end user computing will never be the same,” said Steve Workman, vice president, LANDesk. “The days of provisioning and maintaining a single computing platform, locking down work environments and mandating productivity systems are dead. This survey of mobile device management drives these points home. We surveyed a cross section of IT managers and administrators, and their feedback shows the dramatic nature of this shift and emphasises the immediacy of the change.”