Unmanaged Apple Devices Pose ‘Huge’ Risk for Corporations: Centrify

While the majority of businesses use Apple devices, only a fraction of them take the effort of properly securing them, a recent study published by mobile security firm Centrify reveals.

After surveying 2,249 US workers, Centrify found that nearly half, or 45%, use at least one Apple device for work purposes and that the majority of those devices, or 63%, are owned by the users. Only 35% of iPhones, iPads, and Macs encrypt company data. By the way, 59% of Macs are used to access confidential company info, 75% of Macs have access to sensitive or regulated customer information, and 51% of iPhones and 58% of iPads have access to business apps.

When it comes to the security of data stored on the devices, Centrify found that 51% of Apple devices in use are secured by a password that is merely a single word or a series of numbers, and only 28% of devices have company-provided MDM (mobile device management) solutions installed.

“Centrify’s Apple survey spotlights the massive exposures that occur when devices do not comply with standard corporate security policies,” said Bill Man, chief product officer, Centrify. “In particular, customer data represents a huge liability. Disclosure of regulated information such as healthcare records could expose corporations to fines and other legal action. Most importantly, there are solutions on the market today that can handily secure Apple devices without sacrificing user productivity. It’s time for IT to take action.”

While the data posted above sounds alarming, and business owners should consider MDM solutions, the results come from a security firm that provides such solutions. So the data was supposed to sound scary; hence, take it with a grain of salt.