Bach Seat

Tablets, mostly Apple (AAPL) iPad is organizations into the consumerization of IT.  Tablets are forcing IT managers to accept the idea of supporting employee-owned devices. Many organizations are struggling with how to secure the data on these consumer devices. eWeek recently pointed out data from Harris Interactive and Fuzebox which says that tablet users are transferring sensitive information at a greater rate than even smartphone owners.

Harris Interactive polled 2,300-plus adults polled in late January 2011. Almost half (48%) of tablet owners in the survey admitted to using their tablets to transfer sensitive data.

• 42% of the surveyed said they transfer sensitive personal data on their tablets
• 20% of tablet owners said they transfer sensitive data for business use,

According to Harris, the survey found that confidence in the security of the data transferred over their mobile devices is skewed according to age and gender.

• 47% of men are confident
• 34% of are women are confident

Younger adults are more likely to transfer sensitive data via a tablet:

• 61% of respondents 18-34 transfer sensitive data on their tablet;
• 56% of those surveyed ages 35-44;
• 33% of those surveyed ages 45-5 4;
• 20% of those 55+ (20%) to use it to transfer sensitive data.

Not many users are confident in mobile security

• 18% are extremely/very confident in the security of the data transferred over their device(s).
• 15% are not at all confident in the security of the data transferred over their device(s).

While the Apple iPad controls the bulk of the tablet market where security is a concern, the advantage may go to Research In Motion (RIMM) says eWeek. The article cites data from Technology Business Research which is also studying enterprise use of tablets, and some of the initial findings show that these users continue to believe that RIM devices are the most secure.

The news could be a boon for RIM according to the author, at least in the short term. The BlackBerry maker is expected to release its PlayBook tablet by the summer and is aiming it at the enterprise. However, lurking in the background is Apple, which dominates the tablet space with its iPad and is growing its reputation for secure products.”IT departments like the ability to manage the devices and data on the devices remotely, including the ability to control access and to securely wipe the devices if they’re lost or stolen,” TBR analyst Ken Hyers told eWEEK. “RIM has succeeded in establishing a high threshold in what is expected from an enterprise-class device in terms of security.”

Mr. Hyers added, “RIM’s reputation for security will give it a near-term advantage and help it sell more PlayBooks directly to the enterprise … But over time that advantage will steadily erode.”

“From a smartphone vendor standpoint, Apple is establishing its own reputation as a secure device, though not up to the level of RIM,” Mr. Hyers told eWeek. “Apple (and Android mobile devices) also have a distinct edge in usability and appeal; they’re simply easier to use and more fun to use.” Where this becomes a problem for RIM is when businesses let their employees choose the mobile devices they use, as they tend to go for the “sexier” ones, he explained.

rb-

I have been a Blackberry user for 7+ years, but I have wonder if RIMM gets “it” anymore. Is RIMM going to turn into the Novell of the mobile market? A technically better product, but never able to close the deal, getting left in the wake of pretty shiny objects over substance. Given the increasingly crowded market RIMM operates in, the company is facing the same challenges as Novell.

Related articles

• Sorry – a $120 keyboard won’t save RIM’s $200 PlayBook (gigaom.com)

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.