BT Study Reveals Organisations Have Inadequate Security Measures

Some 41 per cent of UK organisations have been affected by mobile security breaches in the last 12 months, a new study from BT has revealed – and one-fifth of these experienced five incidents or more.

While 95 per cent of UK organisations either allow employees use their own mobile devices for work purposes, or supply them with devices to use, the report found that only around a third actively implement a Bring Your Own Device policy.

Additionally, only 15 per cent of respondents thought that their company had sufficient measures in place to prevent a mobile security breach, and more than half said there is no IT security training for all employees. On average, mobile security measures are only reviewed once every ten months.

"Problems usually arise when people don’t understand the risks and the impact that neglecting security could cause for the business, as well as for them personally," said Mark Hughes, president of BT Security. "A security breach could cause a share price drop and reputational brand damage."

Expert Opinion

It is incredibly worrying to see the sheer number of companies affected by data protection issues and it is clear many organisations still have much to learn regarding the issue. <br/> <br/>"With so many businesses now reliant on IT and online systems, the need to have robust policies and systems in place to protect key corporate and consumer data is more important than ever. The consequences of failing to consider such issues can be massive, having not only a reputational but also a financial impact on companies including fines of up to £500,000. <br/> <br/>"It is vital that businesses work quickly to get to grips with the issue and ensure that they are doing everything they can to keep their key information secure."