In Part 1 of our survey series, we examined the insecurity of email and the risks associated with employee behavior. What adds yet another layer of complication to email protection? Mobility.
Of 830 IT, IT security and compliance practitioners, 70% are concerned about the loss of information via email on mobile devices. With increasing dependence on mobile devices for business communication and access to data whenever, wherever, this concern cannot persist without jeopardizing work production.
As it stands, only 31% of respondents have ever attempted to open an encrypted email on their mobile device. That percentage is extremely low considering U.S. mobile users spend more time using e-mail on their phones than any other internet-based mobile activity, according to a December 2010 report published by the Nielsen Company. So what’s contributing to this low figure? The first consideration relates back to concerns regarding mobile data loss. Whether it’s due to personal reluctance or company policy, very few professionals are using secure email on their devices.
A second factor to consider is the sheer inconvenience of email encryption on mobile devices. The Ponemon survey found nearly 80% of respondents use a push or attachment-based email encryption solutions. In using such technology, a recipient would have to go through the pain of at least eight cumbersome steps just to see one email. In knowing that, would you go through the trouble to access a secure email?
So, how do we reduce mobility concerns and open secure lines of convenient email communication on any device, any where? The answer may seem redundant, given Part 1’s response, but it remains the same: easy-to-use email encryption.
Email encryption with pull technology enables secure email with a maximum two steps. Next-generation technology, such as ZixMobility, enhances the user experience with optimized layouts designed for the user’s environment and fully functional navigation maximized for the user’s screen. By leveraging these features, not only can users seamlessly navigate from desktop to mobile device and confidently access secure email but organizations can reduce their concerns about email data loss.
Visit next week for part 3 of our Survey Blog Series: How companies view ease of use, and how it translates into data protection.