Bitglass Report Shows Enterprises Increasing Risk by Enabling BYOD


Securing BYOD to prevent data loss/theft is a top concern.

A new Bitglass report shows that despite the surge in enterprises enabling bring your own device (BYOD), many are unprepared for the associated risks.

Bitglass’ 2021 BYOD Security Report show the rapid adoption of unmanaged personal devices connecting to work-related resources. It also highlights how organizations are ill-equipped to deal with growing security threats such as malware and data theft.

The Bitglass report is a joint venture with Cybersecurity Insiders. It surveyed hundreds of cybersecurity professionals across industries to better understand how COVID-19’s resulting surge of remote work has affected security and privacy risks introduced by the use of personal mobile devices.

The insights in this report are especially relevant. That’s because more enterprises are shifting to permanent remote work or hybrid work models. That means connecting more devices to corporate networks and, as a result, expanding the attack surface.

Enterprises Left Vulnerable

Anurag Kahol is CTO and co-founder of Bitglass.

Bitglass' Anurag Kahol

Bitglass’ Anurag Kahol

“Despite 82% of enterprises enabling BYOD to some capacity, many are still highly unprepared for the risks associated with unmanaged devices,” he said. “Fifty-one percent of the surveyed organizations don’t have any means of identifying vulnerabilities associated with malicious Wi-Fi on personal devices. Even more surprisingly, 49% are unsure or unable to detect whether malware has been downloaded in the last 12 months.”

Key findings from the Bitglass report:

  • BYOD is here to stay. Use of personal devices has helped businesses improve employee productivity and satisfaction, while also reducing costs. However, challenges associated with managing device access and mobile security remain.
  • Securing BYOD to prevent data loss/theft is a top concern. Respondents are most concerned about data leakage. Other apprehensions included users downloading unsafe apps or content, lost or stolen devices, and unauthorized access to company data and systems.
  • Enterprises are running blind when it comes to securing BYOD devices against modern security threats. For example, 22%  of…

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