Thefts of smartphones and tablets in the UK dropped over the past six months but are still high enough to keep IT managers awake at night, according to the latest data from insurer Protect Your Bubble.
With the advent of BYOD in the workplace, many users are accessing and even storing sensitive corporate information on their personal devices.
But without the proper protections on those devices, they represent a major security risk if a mobile gets lost or stolen.
Mobile and tablet theft claims dropped from 6.4% in the period October-March 2015 to 5.4% in April-September 15, according to data based on 69,000 claims, the gadget insurer said.
More than half (53%) were stolen when left unattended by an owner, with pubs and bars (25%) the most common venue followed somewhat worryingly by the workplace (14%).
Despite the overall fall, gadget thefts did rise in 10 cities including Liverpool, Leicester, Wakefield, Sunderland and Cardiff.
Leeds (21.4%) topped the list, followed by Salford (14.9%) and London (9.5%), with Belfast (9.2%) and Sunderland (8.2%) rounding out the top five.
Protect Your Bubble global director, Stephen Ebbett, claimed that a high street value means mobile devices remain an attractive target for would-be thieves, which is why places like Swansea and Wakefield have seen thefts more than double over the past six months.
“If you fall victim to a mobile thief, call your airtime provider and block your handset as fast as you can. You don’t want to have to worry about covering the cost of unauthorized calls as well as replacing your phone,” he explained.
“If you haven’t made a note of it, ask your network for your handset’s unique IMEI to pass on to the police when you report the theft. Good gadget insurance will replace the stolen handset, as well as covering you for unauthorized calls.”
A simple PIN-lock or remote data wiping functionality can help reduce the risk of corporate data falling in the wrong hands if an employee’s device is stolen.
Photo © Jovanovic Dejan