This June, IT World Canada joined British Columbia based-Telus Communications Company to host a webinar addressing mobile security in the workplace.
The talk followed a survey conducted by Telus and Toronto-based Rotman School of Management which found that nearly all respondents fear losing a phone with corporate data on it as their number one IT concern. The webinar highlighted the fact that most mobile security policy is underdeveloped and employees feel underprepared.
The webinar was hosted by IT World Canada editor-in-chief Shane Shick and featured two prominent people from the Canadian mobile industry: Hernan Barros, director of products and services for Telus Security Solutions and Tim DaFoe, senior security policy advisor for the Government of Ontario.
Attendees were given the chance to listen and interact during the hour-long presentation as both surveys and questions were solicited throughout.
According to the talk, mobile devices are becoming a larger part of the IT landscape in business. Despite the facilities already provided by businesses, more and more employees are bringing their own personal mobile devices into the office. Smart phones, tablets and hybrid devices are becoming increasingly prolific in the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend and IT policy has yet to catch up.
We’re “not only seeing increased device use, but seeing increased use of varied devices,” said Schick.
The first survey, which asked what kind of mobile IT policy exists at their own companies, concluded that more than half of attendees (47 per cent) have a policy that mobile was merely appended to. More than a quarter (28 per cent) had an IT policy at their company that didn’t address mobile devices at all.
To get a better idea of the issues facing policy makers and employees surrounding mobile IT security, check out Mobile Security Risks: An IT Department Action Plan.
For more information, consult our knowledge centre for security.