Study reveals grassroots appeal of flexible working and BYOD

The grassroots nature of flexible working and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) practices is revealed in a new study from Intel Security which found that over three quarters (78 percent) of employees use their own electronic devices to work while a similar proportion (79 percent) use their company-issued devices for their personal activities. The survey of 2,500 professionals worldwide also found that 40 percent of people are happy to work ‘wherever’. While firms continue to have concerns about the security implications of BYOD and an itinerant workforce, their employees are rather more confident with the overwhelming majority (77 percent) confident that their employers have taken all appropriate security measures to protect data, even though a third (35 percent) admit that they log onto unsecured public wireless networks.

The key findings of the report include:

• More than three quarters of the respondents (78 percent) use their personal devices for work-related activities
• An even greater number (79 percent) stated that they conduct personal online activities on company-issued devices
• 40 percent of employees work from home or “wherever”
• 65 percent of respondents feel IT is responsible for protecting personal data on work devices
• 77 percent of respondents feel ‘very confident’ or ‘confident’ their employer is taking necessary steps to protect all important data
• 61 percent of activity undertaken at work is personal, confidential or private
• 35 percent of respondents logged onto public Wi-Fi using their company laptops

“For many people work happens whenever and wherever, with whichever device is handy,” says Raj Samani, EMEA Chief Technology Officer at Intel Security. “However, just by checking work emails on a personal laptop, for example, an employee allows corporate data to wander outside the network, potentially unprotected. Enterprises need clearly defined policies on bring your own devices, outlining which applications and websites are permitted as well as providing advice on where not to access corporate data. By doing so, companies can reap the rewards of enhanced productivity and collaboration as well as protecting the company.”