FEATURE: MOBILE SECURITY
over seven in every 10 CIOs concerned that
they had been exposed to a mobile security
issue during the previous 12 months.
The problem is, the most vulnerable Wi-Fi
locations are those that are also vital to the
mobile worker. Nearly two-thirds of the CIOs
blamed public Wi-Fi in cafés and coffee
shops. This problem was particularly acute
in the UK, where 81% had seen cafés and
coffee shops contribute to Wi-Fi-related
security issues. Airports and hotels were
also cited as vulnerable locations, perhaps
unsurprisingly given that they are also very
high turnover public locations, where the
level of security at each hotspot can vary.
Mobile workers’ use of networks that
carry high risk of being compromised by
cybercriminals is undoubtedly a huge issue,
but the iPass survey also found that BYOD,
or Bring-Your-Own-Device, policies were on
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while it can increase employee productivity
and job satisfaction, there is a trade-off
with potential security risks. Overall, 92%
of CIOs are very, or somewhat, concerned
their growing mobile workforce presents
an increasing number of mobile security
challenges. This is becoming something of
a perfect storm: a rapidly growing mobile
workforce looking to stay connected with
free public Wi-Fi, coupled with ever more
sophisticated hackers.
There are millions of Wi-Fi hotspots
globally, all with varying security
credentials – how can enterprises ensure
connections used by their mobile workers
are secure? At a time when data protection
is paramount, enterprises need to strike
the delicate balance between keeping
their data and systems secure, without
hampering the crucial productivity of their
mobile workforce.
as though their mobility and connectivity
access is being limited – leading to a rise in
job dissatisfaction.
Mobile workers will always require on-the-
go connectivity to complete important
tasks, but may not have consistent access
to secure networks, meaning they seek out
any available connection. Whether they
are using a personal or a corporate-issued
device, employees will find a work-around in
order to get connected, or for devices that
might only have a Wi-Fi connection, may not
be able to work at all. The outright ban on
public Wi-Fi usage is akin to cutting off your
MOBILE WORKERS WILL ALWAYS
SEEK OUT CONNECTIVITY TO GET
WORK DONE, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE
SECURITY RISKS INVOLVED.
CIOs’ radar as a contributing factor. The
concept of BYOD is now commonplace, but
despite the large number of people working
remotely, studies have shown that very few
of these workers have been supplied with
a mobile device from their employer. This
leaves enterprises open to security risks, as
they do not have as much control over the
security settings or capabilities of devices
that are being used, meaning they are often
left in the dark where the security of their
remote workers is concerned.
Overall, more than four in 10 CIOs in the
iPass survey said that BYOD had significantly
increased mobile security risks and a further
five in every 10 said that they thought the
threat had been somewhat increased due
to BYOD. Enterprises really are in a Catch-22
situation when it comes to BYOD, because
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INTELLIGENTCIO
Many CIOs are failing to acknowledge
the importance of this balance, preferring
to protect their business against public
Wi-Fi security issues at all costs. The recent
iPass survey showed that these CIOs have
taken a somewhat radical stance: outright
banning their remote workers from using
public Wi-Fi hotspots. Overall, just over
two thirds of CIOs had enacted some kind
of Wi-Fi hotspot ban, with a further 16%
expecting to do so in the future. While this
measure can help IT decision makers feel
as though they have cut the risk of data
breaches, this is not necessarily the case.
A blanket ban only protects against one
specific connectivity issue. While making the
decision to limit use of public Wi-Fi hotspots
may help in the short-term, it does not
promote understanding of the wider security
threat and can make mobile workers feel
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