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    Mobile Adoption High on SMB List, but Mobile Security Isn’t

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    Redefining Enterprise BYOD: Meeting Tomorrow’s Demands

    The SMB Group released information on its State of SMB Adoption of Mobile Apps and Management Solutions recently. It was a relief to see that SMBs were finally recognizing the importance of mobile solutions to their businesses, with 55 percent of the small and 65 percent of the midsize businesses strongly agreeing that these are critical. However, Kapsersky Lab’s own report on BYOD shows that a surprising number of SMB owners “don’t see a danger” with their employees using personal devices at work.

    The Kaspersky report provides data that shows that BYOD could be the real security issue for SMBs, according to CBR Online. In the report, 92 percent of those surveyed said they “keep sensitive corporate information on smartphones and tablets, which they use for both work and personal activities.” That is a dangerously high number of businesses that put a lot of trust in their mobile security efforts, despite the fact that they also think that “basic security tools provided within free solutions” are enough to protect that data. Most also say they don’t see a reason to budget more money toward better security.

    Have they become jaded? Do they think that because experts say attacks will undoubtedly happen, that there is no sense in trying to prevent them or mitigate the damages? And I wonder if the 60 percent of the SMB employees who say “they rely on their employer for mobile security” would be shocked to know that business owners are throwing caution to the wind by relying on low-level security solutions? And do these business owners truly realize how much they are putting at stake by not implementing more secure solutions?

    Mobile Security

    Konstantin Voronkov, head of endpoint product management for Kaspersky Lab, thinks these business owners need to realize the true cost of data loss due to an attack—even a mobile-based one:

    “It is increasingly rare to come across a business professional who doesn’t use their own mobile device for work. A laptop or smartphone enables you to do a large part of your business tasks remotely, from any global location. However, the loss of important corporate data via personal devices is a common occurrence, and a negligent attitude towards the security of mobile devices could pose a serious risk to a company’s business. That is why it is important to use a reliable dedicated solution that addresses all modern requirements and market trends.”

    BYOD may be a convenient and inexpensive way to bring mobile technology into your SMB, but owners must also realize that these devices can be dangerous and high-level protection must be provided to protect the business’ sensitive info, private customer data and their own data too.

    Kim Mays has been editing and writing about IT since 1999. She currently tackles the topics of small to midsize business technology and introducing new tools for IT. Follow Kim on Google+ or Twitter.

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