Although most small-business owners permit employee use of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, few practice strategies to keep these devices safe from cyber threats, according to a recent study commissioned by AT&T and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University.
In fact, 90 percent of respondents allow work email access through mobile devices, and 41 percent of respondents let their employees use these devices to access business files. Another 83 percent of respondents allow personal devices to be used for work purposes.
Still, only 65 percent of respondents say they are worried about information and data security of wireless devices while 91 percent of respondents say computer and online data security is concerning. Only 29 percent of respondents report installing antivirus software on smartphones.
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Laptops security is considered a great concern as 82 percent of respondents have secured company laptops; however, just 32 percent of respondents are doing the same to protect smartphones, and 39 percent of respondents are protecting tablets. Among the majority of respondents not taking protecting these mobile devices, 42 percent plan to add to security.
"There is a troubling disconnect between business owners who want to keep data safe and the necessary steps to protect it," says Ed Amoroso, chief security officer of AT&T. "With more employees using mobile devices, especially personal devices, business data is increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. Protecting critical information can be easy and affordable, and small businesses need to recognize the reality of today's environment – this is a step they can't afford to ignore."
The survey also finds that 37 percent of respondents say they have fallen victim to a security breach, such as a virus, mobile malware or phishing, 21 percent of respondents say those incidents have happened within the last two years.
"Small businesses need to better understand their risk profile," says Nair Memon, professor of computer science and engineering and founding director of The Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Security and Privacy at NYU-Poly. "This means treating every device that touches your network, from laptops to smartphones, as vulnerabilities and ensuring that security is built into the equation at every level."
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