A clear global East-West split appears to be at play when it comes to the secure use of mobile devices at work, with employees in more mature Western countries likely to be more risk averse, according to new research from Aruba Networks.
The HP-owned company interviewed 11,500 employees in 23 countries worldwide to compile its report, Securing #GenMobile: Is Your Business Running the Risk?
It defines ‘GenMobile’ as a “flexible, transparent and collaborative presence” in the workforce which can bring creativity and growth. But it also warns that this type of employee has a “high-risk, security-indifferent mind-set” which can expose the organization to greater risk.
“Particularly, we find these attitudes have created significant discrepancies between industries, individuals and countries when it comes to the treatment of mobile devices and data,” the report claimed.
Key among these is the geographical disparity between emerging Eastern nations and their established Western counterparts.
For example, the top five risk-averse countries were Sweden, US, Canada, UK, and Norway, while the top five at-risk regions were pegged as Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China and the UAE.
Nearly half (48%) of UAE staff admitted to having lost their mobile, versus just 24% in the US, while just 12% of Brits don’t password protect their phones, versus 29% of Malaysians.
In addition, Chinese employees said they’d lend their device on average 19 times per month, versus just seven for Swedes.
Outside regional differences, the report also claimed to reveal interesting industry-specific findings.
Despite a strict regulatory framework in many countries, finance emerged as a high risk sector, with 39% of respondents admitting losing company data through misuse of a device – 25% higher than the average.
Employees in hi-tech firms emerged as almost twice as likely to hand over their password to IT than those in hospitality or education.
Just over half (51%) of IT departments claimed they don’t specify particular device types for employees to use at work – a key step which can help meet basic security standards.
“Not vetting devices is a missed opportunity to shore up threats and reduce help desk calls before they happen,” the report said.