Many (62 percent) IT managers feel they lack the necessary tools to properly manage personal devices, according to a new global survey of nearly 750 IT professionals.

Conducted by Dimensional Research and commissioned by Dell KACE, the survey revealed 87 percent of companies have employees that use some kind of personal device for work including laptops, smartphones and tablet computers but are unable to effectively protect corporate data and intellectual property as well as ensure compliance.

“Consumer products are evolving into viable businesses tools, but according to our research, the majority of companies do not have a proper strategy in place to manage these devices which opens them up to serious security risks,” said Diane Hagglund, senior research analyst for Dimensional Research and the study’s author.

“Consumerization of IT is not simply a passing trend — it is the way business will be conducted on an ongoing basis, especially in the small and medium business (SMB) market, so it is critical that companies put policies and standards into place to support these devices to ensure the security of corporate and intellectual property.”

Personal devices continue to proliferate the businesses as they see the value in a more mobile, efficient and connected workforce. The primary goal of the “Consumerization of IT: A Survey of IT Professionals” study was to gather data about the use of employee personal devices for business and corporate policy for their adoption in the workplace.

According to the research, security needs top the list for IT managers when it comes to managing external mobile devices with 82 percent citing their concerns about the use of personal devices for business use, and another 62 percent specifically concerned about network security breaches.

Key survey findings include:

• 87 percent of respondents reported employees use personal devices for work purposes;
• 59 percent reported their personal devices have created the need for organizations to support multiple operating systems (OS’s). Further, 60 percent reported a greater demand for support of Mac OS X since the introduction of the Apple iPad and iPhone;
• 82 percent of survey respondents cited they have concerns about the use of personal devices for work purposes;
• 64 percent revealed they are not confident that they know of all personal devices being used for business purposes;
• 32 percent revealed employees use unauthorized personal devices and applications to connect to their network; and,
• 88 percent said they believe it is important to have a policy in place to support personal devices, and another 62 percent revealed their organization lacks the necessary tools to manage personal devices.

Related Stories:

• Only a third of firms allow personal devices on company networks
• Companies not making employees aware of BYOD policies
• Survey says: even IT pros often skip passwords
• Majority of employees check social media via mobile daily
• Four steps organizations can take to reduce BYOD security risks

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Tags: Dell, Dimensional Research, IT security concerns, KACE, personal electronic devices in business