Simplexo CTO Issues Smartphone Security Warning
- Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
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Simon Bain, CTO of search specialist Simplexo, has urged companies to take the security issues surrounding employee smartphone use seriously. Bain has voiced his concerns amid recent warnings from a number of well-known companies.
“The use of mobile devices in the workplace is here to stay and thats why it is crucial that CIOs move fast to ensure that all corporate data is secure, whether it is being accessed via an employees smartphone or personal PC,” says Bain.
“A major concern for security chiefs is a consumer mobile device loaded with corporate data being left in the back of a taxi, which isnt surprising considering that tens of thousands of mobile devices are left in taxis, trains and buses annually. The consequences of this can be potentially fatal to businesses, with confidential customer and corporate data being exposed to the threat of ID theft, or being leaked via the internet, resulting in a companys brand being tarnished, and a slump in profits, as well as shareholder value.”
Bains comments are echoed by other IT professionals who also recently spoke out on the issue.
Louis Gamon, information security officer with the John Lewis Partnership, went as far as to say that he would not advise that businesses deploy Android among their workforce, saying: “I dont think currently that Android and other mobiles are anywhere near secure enough for corporate use.”
Gamon believes that companies thinking of letting their staff use their own devices at work will need to put additional policies and software tools in place to manage and secure all of the corporate data held on these devices.
Bain agrees that businesses will have to address the increasing number of personal smartphones being used in the workplace.
“This new working culture, whereby employees are welcoming the capability to access all of their working files, general information and personal social media content from both in and out of the office, will continue to drive the demand for mobile search applications,” he says.