Half of UAE workers lose sensitive phone data

Friday, Aug 28, 2015

DUBAI: Nearly half of UAE workers say they’ve lost personal or company data through misuse of mobile phones, according to a new report by Aruba Networks.

The report, based on a survey of the mobile security habits of 11,500 workers in 23 countries, indicates established Western markets display by far the world’s safest employee behaviours when it comes to using mobile devices at work, and conversely, emerging Eastern regions rank the lowest for mobile security practices.

Overall the report establishes a clear East/West divide with regard to mobile security. Sweden, the USA, Canada, the UK and Norway are found to have the safest employee habits while Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, China and the UAE came bottom of the list.

The findings, included in Aruba Networks’ Running The Risk report, names the ‘#GenMobile’ demographic as a major driver for more pro-risk behaviours, with the younger, mobile-savvy workers often prioritising productivity over traditional security concerns.

Saadi Kawkji, Regional Technical Manager, Gulf and Pakistan at Aruba Networks, said: “It appears that emerging markets are seeing more self-empowered workers who are embracing new technologies and new ways of driving growth, but are also introducing added risks into the business. The results suggest that while risk can be bad, it can also be good for business — something that more conservative westernised markets should take note of.

“If the workforce thinks nothing of sharing passwords or devices in order to get things done, this presents an interesting productivity vs security challenge for IT managers the world over.

“Striking the balance will be all important to ensuring companies are attracting and retaining the best talent, without exposing sensitive data in the process.”

Aruba Network’s ‘Running The Risk’ report highlights the potential pitfalls businesses should expect given their employees’ computer security habits.

Aruba’s online self-assessment tool help companies assess their risk levels and compare it against other countries’ industries in the study.

KEY FINDINGS

• Greater data loss in Middle-East: Nearly half of UAE workers (48%) admit to having lost personal or company data through the misuse of a mobile, this was just a quarter in the US (24%)

• Risk-adversity in UK: In the UK, only one in ten (12%) do not password protect their work smartphone. In Malaysia, that figure is nearly three in ten (29%)

• Higher device sharing in China: The Chinese will give their work mobile device away on average 19 times per month, whereas the Swedes just seven

Staff Report