We’re all going on a working holiday

Following the explosion of social networking sites and the launch of the iPhone 4, device fever has reached new heights. People are connected almost anytime, anywhere.

 

Work isn’t limited to the office and beach either:

With business also making it possible for employees to access their work applications from company provided smartphone's like iPhones and BlackBerry's, coupled with over 51% of businesses now use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter for business purposes it means that you really are never really off duty even on a remote beach.

 

However, as mobile devices evolve into powerful mini-computers and the capacity to store someone’s ‘whole life’ on their device increases, along with sensitive business and financial information, the implications of losing these devices also increases. In this digital age, enterprises need to account for security on a variety of different devices used in the wild.

 

However according to the Metropolitan Police, as many as 10,000 mobile phones are stolen every month and JustStolen.net claims that up to one in ten laptops will be stolen during their lifetime. Using the latest devices on holiday can also make you a target, with an independent study estimating that a British tourist abroad is robbed every 31 seconds on average.

 

Staff and buisnesses need to consider how they’re using their devices. Have they password protected their phones for example? Have employers accounted for their employee smartphones when it comes to auditing their business assets. If not they may be falling foul of their own governance and security policies. The advice really is that whilst its good to stay connected you must stay safe.