Only 30% Of Employees Trust Employers With Personal Data

Bring your own device [BYOD] policies are being hit by concerns over privacy among employees that means just 30 per cent trust their employers to handle corporate mobility services on personal devices.

The Ovum Employee Mobility Survey found that 42 per cent would rather a mobile operator handle corporate mobility on personal devices with the main concern stemming from a desire to keep the work/personal balance intact.

“Employee concerns over security and privacy are consistent across all operating systems – and with mobility meaning IT departments are confronted with a multitude of platforms to secure, the opportunity for operators is to provide a mobile network level security solution that gives the IT department the control they need,” stated Ciaran Bradley, chief product officer at AdaptiveMobile, who commissioned the survey.

Privacy is the main concern among employees taking part in a BYOD policy with 84 per cent admitting this was the case. The reasons for this were topped by 44 per cent wanting to keep work and personal life separate, with 24 per cent admitting to not trusting employers having control over a device.

Overall BYOD adoption is on the way up with Ovum numbers showing that the rate of BYOD behaviour has risen from 56.8 per cent in 2013 to 69.2 per cent in 2014 as more employees and employers come round to the idea.

It’s “high growth markets”, such as India, China and South Korea, where BYOD adoption is highest with growth close to 100 per cent whereas mature markets are apparently much more ripe for corporate mobility service adoption.

“It’s clear that BYOD is not a newly discussed phenomenon, but our research over the last three years indicates that as a behavioural trend it is actually increasing and having an impact in every organisation”, said Richard Absalom, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Mobility at Ovum. “Businesses everywhere need to find ways of balancing corporate security demands with employees’ privacy concerns when using personal devices for work.”