Turns out SMBs are not so different from consumers, at least where adoption of mobile technology is concerned. In a recent survey by IT industry association CompTIA, for example, SMBs plan to expand their use of mobile technology to more easily interact with customers and to increase the productivity of their employees.
The survey also highlights the “consumerization” of IT business environments, with large numbers of employees bringing their own mobile devices to work. Indeed, 85 percent of SMBs say employees use personal tech devices, with laptops and smartphones most often cited, followed by tablets.
But the benefits of the proliferation of mobile technology in the workplace are offset by security concerns, “whether in the form of a virus being brought into the company network or some breach related to customer data,” says Seth Robinson, director of technology analysis at CompTIA. “The time supporting these devices is also cited as a concern, whether it’s time spent by IT staff or by individual employees attempting to access corporate networks and applications.”
One option SMBs may use to decrease security risks is to purchase mobile technology themselves, and thereby bring it under their control. Channel pros take note.
