A study conducted by Samsung has found that 29 percent of German businesses that have more than 1,000 employees have lost critical data as the result of security breaches due to BYOD (bring your own device). Only 39 percent of firms in the country have current BYOD security policies or have plans to create them soon.

Tarifica’s Take

Security issues used to be the major obstacle to BYOD adoption among enterprises. It appears that expediency has trumped caution, and BYOD is now an expanding worldwide trend. Therefore, instead of worrying, companies will have to implement actual security measures, which we think presents excellent opportunities for three kinds of businesses: device manufacturers, security-systems design firms, and mobile operators. Samsung conducted its study in order to promote its own mobile-phone security system, Knox, which segregates business data from personal data on Android smartphones. As for mobile operators, one relevant example comes from Germany, where Telefonica has just announced its new O2 Protect security products for smartphones, tablets and computers. Leveraging McAfee technology, these products will be made available on a trial basis (free of charge) for three months to all subscribers, following which those that choose to continue using them will have a relatively modest fee added to their monthly bills.