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Enterprises that wait to adopt a mobile-first strategy set to fail, report finds

Industry report reveals enterprises are risking data breaches and poor productivity through substandard mobile integration for business-critical operations

According to a new industry report, 1 in 3 enterprises are sending their employees to work in challenging conditions without the latest available equipment and technology, increasing the potential for data leakages and data breaches.

In collaboration with IQPC and Enterprise Mobility Exchange, industry report “Racing Toward the Future of Enterprise Mobility,” has been published by enterprise mobility and IoT management provider SOTI Inc. Whether driving innovation, changing user behaviour or improving data management, mobility is at the heart of many business strategies. Enterprises cite security and privacy concerns as major hurdles they need to overcome, or at least feel in control of, before they can lay the groundwork to enhance their productivity, lower operating costs, and innovate.

Report reveals staggering data and mobile security threats

Among the key areas of the report, fresh statistics are revealed around data and mobile security threats. More than a third (31%) of respondents revealed they had experienced a data breach within the past two years, making this a major part of any IT team’s focus. Perhaps most shockingly, more than a quarter (27%) of surveyed enterprises admitted that they either do not currently comply with national or global mobile device protection regulations, or are completely unaware if they do.

Additionally, more than half of respondents surveyed in the report cited five key mobile security concerns for their enterprises: data leakages (70%), data breaches (61%), phishing attacks (55%), mobile malware (54%) and malicious apps (47%). Respondents in the U.S. said they were less concerned about mobile malware (51%) than respondents with operations in India (75%), Germany (78%) and the UK (80%). This is also the case when it comes to personal data collection and misuse, with just 41% citing it as a major concern in the U.S., compared with 69% in Canada, 70% in the UK, 72% in France and 78% in Germany.

Modern workforce myths uncovered

Within the industry report, it was found that 1 in 3 enterprises aren’t equipping their field workforce with the right technology to carry out their jobs. In respect to providing support to business-critical roles such as frontline mobile workers in the field, the report shows that 65% of organisations are deploying mobile devices, but a sizeable minority of 28% are not.

Organisations lacking a mobile-first mindset risk hampering operational success and jeopardising worker productivity. It is, therefore, concerning that almost two-thirds of organisations are resisting mobile transformation, with 64% of our survey respondents revealing that workplace culture is their leading challenge to overcome.

Setting the scene for IoT and 5G

The split between organisations that are and are not leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) is startling, revealing that not all are convinced by the potential of the IoT. The survey saw 45% saying yes when asked if their organisation was leveraging IoT, meaning more than half are not, despite a sizable 76% of survey respondents agreeing that the IoT offers their enterprises improved productivity.

Shash Anand, Vice President of Product Strategy at SOTI, comments: “The need to place mobility management and innovation at the heart of an organisation’s strategy, or risk data breaches and the associated damage to reputation and customer relationships, is paramount. It’s crucial that enterprises provide employees with access to the latest upgrades, apps and devices alongside robust employee education to form a core mobile transformation strategy. A forward-looking mobile strategy leads to satisfied staff and customers, a win-win for any business.”

The respondents to the exclusive survey were either the influencer or direct purchaser of the technology or mobility solutions within their enterprise, each highlighting varying challenges, current abilities and capacity to embrace change, and ultimate corporate aspirations and goals.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by SOTI .