Booze culture threatening BYOD

The danger of staff using their own devices for work purposes has been exposed by a new survey which claims over half of Britons have lost their phone when out boozing.
The study, by security software company Trend Micro, quizzed over 2,500 UK consumers, with 52% admitting to losing a mobile phone containing sensitive work data when drinking.
Revealing what it dubbed a “culture of carelessness” towards work devices and corporate data, the report highlighted a number of security blackspots for firms which operate a “bring your own device ” (BYOD) policy.
For example, 26% of those surveyed lost or had their device stolen on the London Underground, with 25% of those using the Central and District lines.
Commuter routes were another key blackspot, with 44% of commuters claiming to have lost a device while on the way home from work, and another 22% saying it was stolen on the way to work.
Most of the losses took place at night, with 18% losing a mobile between 11pm and 6am, and a further 14% losing their mobile between 7.30pm and 11pm. However, laptops tend to go missing at lunchtime – 33% of respondents had a laptop lost or stolen between noon and 2pm.
Despite the potential damage to their employer, 44% of smartphone users are more concerned about losing personal content, such as photos and banking details. Meanwhile, over half (57%) of smartphone users have not set up a password lock on their work phone.
Trend Micro global vice-president of security research Rik Ferguson said: “People need to be more careful with work devices; if you lose your device and it’s not secure you could be held liable for further losses to your business from fraud. You could end up paying for much more than the cost of the phone if the company is financially impacted by the data theft.
“If you’re not sure what the procedures are once a device is lost or stolen speak to the relevant department within your company to ensure that you’re device is protected. A password lock is the easiest and most effective mechanism that everyone should be using to guard personal and work data.”
A recent study by the Information Commissioner’s Office, showed that nearly half (47%) of all employees now use their personal smartphone, laptop or tablet for work, yet fewer than a third are given advice on the potential threats to privacy.
At the time, ICO group manager for technology Simon Rice said: “The rise of smartphones and tablet devices means that many of the common daily tasks we would have previously carried out on the office computer can now be worked on remotely. While these changes offer significant benefits to organisations, employers must have adequate controls in place to make sure this information is kept secure.”

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