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Majority of UK companies put data at risk with no BYOD policy

Nearly a quarter ‘in denial’, banning devices from workplace.

By Joe Curtis

Nearly 60% of UK businesses are putting their data at risk by not having a BYOD policy, research has suggested.

BYOD has created a buzz among workers, with technology research company Gartner predicting that around half the world’s companies will adopt it as a common way of working by 2017.

But a survey of 570 UK IT professionals revealed that the majority of firms are not protecting sensitive data with security policies when it leaves the office, whether through BYOD or public cloud-based systems.

The research, commissioned by Acronis, a data storage business, also found that nearly 80% of organisations have not educated employees about the risks of BYOD.

Some are even in denial about the growing trend, with 23% of companies still banning personal devices from the workplace.

Rick Powles, MD of Acronis in UK & Ireland, said: "Personal devices have permanently and positively changed the workplace, particularly in the way employees collaborate, work remotely and interact with company data.

"BYOD is a huge opportunity for companies, but our research shows troubling signs of negligence in the face of these dangers.

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"However, with policies and solutions that manage the flow of data between multiple devices and environments, companies can practice safe BYOD with confidence."

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