Most IT Departments Lack ‘Comprehensive Security’ for Mobile Devices, IHS Survey Finds

“Completeness of protection” is the top concern among large- and medium-sized businesses that have mobile device and IoT security systems in place, an IHS survey found. The legal battle between Apple and the FBI over iPhone encryption “has put extreme focus on the topic of mobile device security,” IHS said in a Monday report. “Like it or not, a new wave of mobile devices is being connected to corporate networks, changing the way people work and blurring the lines between personal and corporate assets -- and making nearly every enterprise in North America a target for mobile security solutions,” it said. “Buyers are making important budget and technology decisions now, and security vendors wishing to tap into the mobile and IoT device security opportunity need to offer on-device, on-network and even cloud-based solutions.” The research firm canvassed 157 businesses in the U.S. and Canada and found that many IT departments “don’t know how many or which mobile devices are on their networks already,” it said. “Even with security solutions in place, devices are lost, stolen, infected and compromised, so solutions need to address more than threat prevention.” Most IT departments also lack “comprehensive security for mobile devices, and the pressure of also rolling out solutions for IoT devices can be overwhelming,” it said.