Data Protection and mobile computing - how do we keep our sensitive data secure?
Mobile Computing and data protection - is it too late?
Sales of mobile devices have skyrocketed: IDC reports that smartphone shipments alone rose from 305 million to almost 500 million in 2011 (up 62% in a year), and predicts that they'll rise to 660 million in 2012 (up another 33%) and exceed 1 billion by 2016. While sales of other mobile devices (smart tablets and laptops) are growing too, research firm Canalys reports that smartphone shipments exceeded PC shipments (which include smart tablets and laptops) for the first time ever, in 2011.
It's not just the ubiquity of mobile devices that poses a challenge: it's also their increased power and functionality, making them more usable for more applications by more people more often. Add social networking to the mix and the blurring boundaries between work and home or play, and organisations face a host of new challenges, from data protection and IT security to compliance and information governance. The crucial questions we will address here are
What are risks to data protection presented by increased mobility and
Which strategies are the most effective for minimising your exposure.
Is it too late?
Booze Allen Hamilton puts mobile device growth at the top of its 10 top security trends for 2012: €The exponential growth of mobile devices drives an exponential growth in security risks. Gartner sees it this way: €For the CIO, consumerization represents the confluence of a difficult set of IT challenges and business strategy.' The practical challenge for CIOs is this: the ability or otherwise to monitor the flow of sensitive information beyond the company's walls.
Opinions vary on just how difficult this challenge is, but one thing is clear: more IT organizations are supporting corporate applications on smartphones, iPhones and iPads all the time. In fact, Gartner expects that 80% of organisations will have tablets by 2013 so it's already too late to stem the tide. You wouldn't want to anyway: the smart young people you want to hire won't come on board if they can't use mobile devices or access social networks.
It's also a question of who owns the device. Many employees and contractors expect to bring their own smart devices to work and then take them home (the BYOD phenomenon). According to a Carnegie Mellon University study, €Organizations need to welcome them in with their kit and at the end of the relationship let those employees go with their kit intact, but also be able to claw back the corporate data that belongs to the organization.' That may be more easily said than done. Data protection is at real risk from increased mobility.
The rapid growth in smart mobile devices is one of the biggest challenges for CIOs in relation to data protection, security, compliance and governance. A new generation of employees who expect to use them freely at home and at work is another issue.
Mobile Computing and data protection - is it too late?
Sales of mobile devices have skyrocketed: IDC reports that smartphone shipments alone rose from 305 million to almost 500 million in 2011 (up 62% in a year), and predicts that they'll rise to 660 million in 2012 (up another 33%) and exceed 1 billion by 2016. While sales of other mobile devices (smart tablets and laptops) are growing too, research firm Canalys reports that smartphone shipments exceeded PC shipments (which include smart tablets and laptops) for the first time ever, in 2011.
It's not just the ubiquity of mobile devices that poses a challenge: it's also their increased power and functionality, making them more usable for more applications by more people more often. Add social networking to the mix and the blurring boundaries between work and home or play, and organisations face a host of new challenges, from data protection and IT security to compliance and information governance. The crucial questions we will address here are
What are risks to data protection presented by increased mobility and
Which strategies are the most effective for minimising your exposure.
Is it too late?
Booze Allen Hamilton puts mobile device growth at the top of its 10 top security trends for 2012: €The exponential growth of mobile devices drives an exponential growth in security risks. Gartner sees it this way: €For the CIO, consumerization represents the confluence of a difficult set of IT challenges and business strategy.' The practical challenge for CIOs is this: the ability or otherwise to monitor the flow of sensitive information beyond the company's walls.
Opinions vary on just how difficult this challenge is, but one thing is clear: more IT organizations are supporting corporate applications on smartphones, iPhones and iPads all the time. In fact, Gartner expects that 80% of organisations will have tablets by 2013 so it's already too late to stem the tide. You wouldn't want to anyway: the smart young people you want to hire won't come on board if they can't use mobile devices or access social networks.
It's also a question of who owns the device. Many employees and contractors expect to bring their own smart devices to work and then take them home (the BYOD phenomenon). According to a Carnegie Mellon University study, €Organizations need to welcome them in with their kit and at the end of the relationship let those employees go with their kit intact, but also be able to claw back the corporate data that belongs to the organization.' That may be more easily said than done. Data protection is at real risk from increased mobility.
The rapid growth in smart mobile devices is one of the biggest challenges for CIOs in relation to data protection, security, compliance and governance. A new generation of employees who expect to use them freely at home and at work is another issue.