Date:10/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/10/stories/2006041018980400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Security threat preventing adoption of wireless computing'

Staff Reporter

60 per cent of the companies are holding back for security fear, says survey

Bangalore: Security concerns continue to be an obstacle to adoption of wireless and remote computing in businesses, according to a global survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by Symantec Corp (Nasdaq: SYMC).

According to the survey, 60 per cent of companies were holding back on deployment, citing security concerns. Close to 47 per cent of the respondents cited cost and complexity for not deploying mobile device. One in every five businesses had suffered financial loss because of attacks via mobile data platforms.

Weakness

The report highlights weaknesses in the firms' security arrangements for mobile devices. While 82 per cent of businesses said they saw the damage from virus attacks as the same or greater on a mobile network than on a fixed network, only 26 per cent had assessed security risks of smart phones compared with 81 per cent of enterprises conducting security assessments for laptops.

Despite the rise in the use of mobile device, only 9 per cent of the companies had incorporated a security architecture designed to include mobile device access.

Of the rest, 10 per cent had no measures for addressing mobile security, 39 per cent were granting mobile devices access to corporate networks on an ad hoc basis and another 39 per cent were integrating mobile devices into their existing fixed network security architecture.

`Experience must'

"It is prudent for enterprises to gain experience in mobile deployments and security before a serious attack makes it mandatory and time critical," said Paul Miller, Director of Mobile and Wireless Solutions, Symantec Corporation.

"Security is an issue that impedes adoption of mobile computing in a workplace and if it continues to be overlooked, there is the danger that some businesses will miss the advantages mobility can bring to their workforces," said Gareth Lofthouse, director of custom research, Economist Intelligence Unit.

Malicious code

The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Volume IX, published in March 2006, highlighted malicious code that targets mobile devices, particularly smart phones, continued to grow through the second half of 2005.

"A coherent strategy for mobile security will work towards alleviating the concerns of many enterprises. Companies can begin leveraging mobile technology as a competitive advantage by adding mobile protection to 5 or 10 per cent of their mobile workforce and heeding to best practices. This measured approach will help tremendously in preparing for major deployment," said Mr. Miller.