Security breaches cause IT departments to work harder

A global leader in data protection recently released the results of its State of the Channel Authentication survey, which polled more than 100 IT professionals and revealed that security breaches that have occurred in the past few months are pushing companies to reevaluate their mobile device management methods.

New technology continues to be a driving force at companies and the "bring your own device" trend is reportedly making some IT departments work harder to secure company files and data. While allowing employees to use their own mobile devices for business purposes, companies are saving money and also spending more time perfecting authentication protocols and considering which vendors best suit their needs.

The results of the survey showed that out of the 100 IT security resellers that were involved in the study, three out of four reported customers are more or much more concerned about security breaches now than they were a year ago. More than seven out of 10 resellers reported that they are actively discussing authentication and protection of data in the cloud and virtual environments with their customers.

"Recent highly-targeted security attacks have dramatically impacted enterprise and government organizations," John Marler, mobile security expert, said. "The breadth and sophistication of these attacks is prompting organizations to review their authentication strategies and solutions - some for the first time in years. Now, more than ever, our customers are searching for highly flexible authentication solutions that provide security and control, and the ability to scale and adapt as an organization's requirements evolve."

The study also revealed that 67 percent of resellers are exploring new authentication options and vendors when renewing contracts to meet requirements that are constantly changing.

"2011 was a year of evolution, and we predict that 2012 will continue to accelerate changes in the way organizations define authentication," Tsion Gonen, a mobile security expert, said. "Security breaches and advanced threats will continue to make headlines, and will continue to drive customers to demand authentication options that enable them to improve protection while accommodating rapidly evolving business and technology environments and shifting user preferences."

A recent study, entitled "Dispelling Six Myths of Consumerization of IT," showed that IT departments are actually dealing with the BYOD trend with aplomb and actually embrace the idea. According to the report, 88 percent of the executives surveyed stated they were using personal computing technologies for business purposes.