Raytheon survey reveals mobile device security is sacrificed for workforce efficiency

DULLES, Va., Sept. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- While mobile devices are an integral part of the workplace, the cyber security practices and budgets in most organizations are not keeping pace with the growing number of devices that must be managed and kept secure. According to a new survey issued today by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), 52 percent of organizations and employees frequently sacrifice security practices to realize the efficiency benefits of mobile connectivity.

The report, "Security in the New Mobile Ecosystem," was conducted by information security industry leader Ponemon Institute. The comprehensive report is based on 618 respondents who implement enterprise security, manage mobile technologies and platforms, and set mobile strategy. Fifty-seven percent of respondents identified themselves as senior executives/managers.

According to the research, on average one-third of employees use mobile devices exclusively to do their work and this is expected to increase significantly to an average of 47 percent of employees in the next 12 months. Even in light of this anticipated growth, 64 percent surveyed claimed that they do not currently or expect to have sufficient budget to mitigate or curtail mobile device cyber security threats.

Despite the increasingly high levels of cyber security risks with mobile devices, the top two methods being used today – Mobile Device Management (MDM) and secure containers – are not sufficient. In fact, half of those surveyed are not satisfied with their organization's current mobile security solutions, and 57 percent agreed that implementing a virtualization-based solution, which keeps data off of the actual device, should be considered.

"This survey points to the fact that there is a struggle to find the right balance between the cyber security needs of an organization and the efficiencies demanded by employees to do their jobs," Ashok Sankar, senior director of product management and strategy at Raytheon Cyber Products. "Mobile devices are becoming a dominant workplace tool, and organizations must adopt a mobile strategy with data security technologies that enable employees to work effectively without putting sensitive information at risk."

For a full copy of the report, go to  Security in the New Mobile Ecosystem. 

About the Ponemon Institute
The Ponemon Institute is dedicated to advancing responsible information and privacy management practices in business and government. To achieve this objective, the Institute conducts independent research, educates leaders from the private and public sectors, and verifies the privacy and data protection practices of organizations in a variety of industries. For more information, visit http://www.ponemon.org.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.

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