BYOD solutions still have high security concerns

It is hard to look at bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategies these days from a corporate standpoint and not talk about security problems. As malware and breaches are becoming more prevalent, businesses need to ensure they are ready to combat the growing challenges.

Harry Sverdlove, the CTO of IT security provider Bit9, wrote a new guest column for IT Pro Portal. In the piece, he spoke about two reports the company conducted about BYOD solutions and the security concerns that enterprises should be aware of.

"Millions of applications are downloaded to smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices daily, and a large percentage access information that could put your employees’ privacy – and any sensitive company data – at risk," wrote Sverdlove.

In a recent study, Bit9 analysed 400,000 Android applications that are currently available in the Google Play store and found that 72 percent of them require one permission to give the program access to data on the user's smartphone. What's more, 25 percent of the apps were considered suspicious – while not malicious, they do perform questionable tasks and access private data.

For a survey, the company interviewed IT decision makers of enterprises with over 400,000 employees about their BYOD strategies. According to the results, 71 percent of respondents have official protocols in place for accessing company email, documents and contacts. However, they also found that less than 25 percent have the visibility to monitor other applications.

While many companies have adopted BYOD strategies, the need for proper security protocols is growing in importance. An experienced IT consulting firm like CTI Technology can help any business shore up their security protocols to make sure the network stays safe.