Aruba Networks, Inc., a provider of network access solutions for the mobile enterprise, released a global study revealing that workers using their own mobile device for work remain fearful of their employer accessing their personal information.
However, misconceptions about the role and remit of the IT department and the needs of corporate computer security are causing employees to keep their personal devices away from the IT department, which is jeopardizing company data.
Specifically concerning for business is that nearly 50% of workers in the UAE would not report that their personal device had been compromised, even if it leaked company data. In addition, 39 percent of UAE workers would not report leaked data immediately to their IT department or employer.
From a global perspective, almost half of Europeans (45%) fear the loss of personal data, followed by 40% of Middle Eastern workers and 66% of Americans. A significant proportion of UAE workers – over 17% – have not even told their employers that they use a personal device for work.
This reticence is driven by perceptions of corporate IT departments. Namely, what the IT team might do to their precious personal device and data. Thirty-three percent of workers in the UAE worry about IT department access to their personal data, while 24% of the UAE fear their IT department would interfere with their private data if they handed over their device. In comparison across the globe, 45% in the US worry about IT department access to their personal data, followed by 31% in the Middle East and 25% in Europe.
Such concerns over personal data may stem from the belief that not enough is being done to protect sensitive business information. Nearly one third of workers (28%) in the UAE claim that their IT department takes no steps to ensure the security of corporate files and applications on their personal devices.
When asked how they would feel if their personal data was accessed by their IT department, 47% of users in the UAE described their reaction as ‘angry’ and 53% would feel ‘violated’ by this news.
Ammar Enaya, General Manager of Aruba Networks, said, “The research from both sides of the Atlantic shows that employees and IT departments are gambling with data security, but chance isn’t the only factor. In short, employees resent the power their employers now wield over their personal data, but are equally unconcerned about keeping company data safe.”
Orr concluded, “We are now well beyond the point of discussing Bring Your Own Device as something on the horizon. It is a reality across the world and businesses need to adopt solutions that give their employees greater privacy for their personal data as well as exerting greater network controls to ensure that sensitive information is not leaked, without disrupting the user experience.”
There is a clear disparity between what employees want and what IT departments need. Creating a division between personal data and work data would go a long way to solving these problems and putting employees’ minds to rest.
To manage the use of personal mobile devices, the Aruba WorkSpace mobile application provisions a separate, encrypted area on the devices for work applications and content. This gives IT full control over the corporate information in the encrypted space, but no visibility into personal areas of the device, thereby protecting employee privacy.
