While people widely use Apple devices for work, lack of security and management of those devices exposes companies to significant liabilities, says Centrify Corporation, the US IT security product firm. A survey by Dimensional Research for the firm looked at penetration and security compliance of Apple devices in the workplace. Of the total 2,249 US workers surveyed, nearly half (45 per cent) use at least one Apple device for work purposes. In addition:
A majority of those Apple devices (63 per cent) are owned by the user as opposed to the company and are used to access work email, corporate documents and business applications
59 percent of Macs are used to access confidential company information
65 per cent of Macs are used to access sensitive or regulated customer information
51 per cent of iPhones in the workplace are used to gain access to business applications
58 per cent of iPads in the workplace are used to gain access to business applications
However, despite the popularity of Apple devices in the workplace, businesses do not invest enough resources to secure or manage them, according to Centrify.
Over half (51 per cent) of all devices are secured by a password that is merely a single word or a series of numbers
o Most devices (58 per cent) also do not have software installed to enforce strong passwords
o More than half (56 per cent) of users report sharing their passwords with others
o Only 17 per cent of Apple devices have a company-supplied password manager
Only 28 per cent of Apple devices have company-provided device management solutions installed
o Only 35 per cent of Apple devices have encryption of stored data enforced by their company
Ultimately there is no discernable correlation between password strength and sensitivity of information accessed or accessible from a particular device or user
Bill Mann, senior vice president of products and marketing, Centrify, said: “Centrify’s Apple survey spotlights the massive exposures that occur when devices do not comply with standard corporate security policies. In particular, customer data represents a huge liability. Disclosure of regulated information such as healthcare records could expose corporations to fines and other legal action. Most importantly, there are solutions on the market today that can handily secure Apple devices without sacrificing user productivity. It’s time for IT to take action.” Visit www.centrify.com/apple.
