That’s the assessment of new research from Virgin Media Business, which found that in 2012, a full 51% of the UK’s secure IT networks were breached due to employees using personal devices.
In surveying 500 British CIOs, Virgin Media Business found that smaller businesses experienced 25% fewer breaches of security compared to larger organizations.
“Last year was clearly a bumpy road for companies introducing personal devices at work,” said Tony Grace, COO at Virgin Media Business. “That’s natural enough as no one has so far been able to come up with the magic solution. CIOs shouldn’t see this as a burden and in 2013 they can take the lessons learned and turn these personal devices into business enablers to really help drive the bottom line.”
In 2012 the consumerization of IT and BYOD have gone from being buzzwords and theories, to being everyday matters and issues for CIOs. “Security, connectivity and user policies are the three key factors needed to embrace new technology successfully, but this isn’t anything new,” the research found. “With just 20% of big businesses allowing staff to use their own kit in the office, there needs to be a shift in mindset.”
The issue will only grow larger: Virgin Media noted that a tablet was sold every second in the run up to Christmas, up 112% from last year, meaning January is likely to see a clear influx of the devices in the workplace, driving a need for clear policies on BYOD.
“With sales of tablets expected to have gone through the roof over Christmas, it looks like personal devices in the workplace is here to stay,” said Grace. “But with just a fifth of large firms having a BYOD policy, businesses will continue to experience security breaches until connectivity, security and user policies are put in place.”