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Posted on August 7th, 2012 in Consumerization, Spotlight by Simply Security | 1 Comment | Tags: Consumerization, Spotlight

Panelists discuss security impact of mobile and cloud trends.

Innovations in technology have given businesses a unique opportunity to acquire large amounts of useful information on clients and operations, allowing decision-makers to make adjustments to boost efficiency and customer satisfaction. The accumulated records, however, continue growing, making the management of data more complicated than it used to be.

These complexities are compounded with the introduction of new mobile trends like BYOD (bring your own device) and the evolution of the cloud. Law firm DMH Stallard recently hosted a panel discussion in which strategic and technological decision-makers debated the data security challenges associated with the evolving business environment.

BYOD and the changing mobile landscape

The BYOD trend has introduced a number of new challenges to business and IT leaders, as the rapid adoption of personal smartphones, tablets and similar gadgets in the workplace has made it more difficult to manage employee behavior without infringing data privacy.

By embracing BYOD, organizations can potentially gain a competitive advantage, as employee satisfaction and remote working capabilities can both be improved, DMH Stallard said. BYOD can also shift some of the costs associated with supporting a mobile environment to the worker, helping companies save money in a time when IT budgets are on the line.

Panelists also discussed the need for policy during the evolution of BYOD, DMH Stallard reported. Neglecting to make it clear how individuals can use their personal devices to access mission-critical applications and information will likely lead to the inappropriate use of mobile gadgets, jeopardizing the safety of sensitive resources.

Attendees also said that decision-makers must enforce some sort of discipline when employees use personal devices in unauthorized ways. One panelist said that up to 40 percent of data breaches are caused from negligent or malicious staff behavior, according to DMH Stallard.

A separate study by the Ponemon Institute confirmed this finding, revealing that 59 percent of respondents said employees often circumvent data protection practices by disengaging simple security tools like passwords and key locks. As a result, more than half of organizations in the report said they experienced a data breach within the past year because of inappropriate employee activity with mobile devices.

"Empower your staff, make them care and make them aware," DMH Stallard said. "Let your staff realize that their own personal data may be at risk if best practice and your policies are not followed."

Cloud computing offers new benefits and challenges

The introduction of cloud computing continues to promise an evolution for the business world, giving individuals more secure access to mission-critical assets from virtually any location around the world. Panelists cited the ability to reduce IT expenses, increase agility and experience greater accessibility as some of the most enticing reasons for migrating to the cloud, DMH Stallard noted.

Despite these advantages, the cloud also brings new challenges to IT departments. DMH Stallard said attendees believe decision-makers need to carefully plan the migration to the cloud to mitigate data protection and vulnerability concerns. Others believed the cloud can actually enhance security.

These findings were echoed in a study by CA Technologies, which found that approximately 55 percent of U.S. businesses expect the cloud to become an important part of their business continuity and data protection strategies.

"Moving to the cloud may actually make organizations more secure than they already are," the report said. "Security through obscurity is not a valid justification for keeping data on your own servers."

Today's business world is experiencing rapid evolution, as more companies leverage cloud and mobile technologies to remain competitive and reduce IT budget constraints. As decision-makers embrace these trends, however, it is important to keep security in mind, as only well-planned strategies will prove to be effective in the long run.

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