2008-09-10
Intermedia, the worldwide leader in business email services and Web hosting for small to midsized businesses, today announced the results of a survey that assess enterprise mobile email practices. According to the more than 300 Intermedia user survey respondents:
- 92% of end-users access business email on their mobile devices
- Only 30% are using a company-provided device
- Blackberry and iPhone at near parity for business email - 38% use BlackBerry, 34% use an iPhone
- 47% responded that their companies do not manage security for employee devices; employees are responsible for any lost or stolen data
- A further 33% responded they were unsure of their companies' mobile email security policies
The survey findings illustrate the blurring of work and play as employees use personally purchased and managed mobile devices as enterprise tools. A further example of this can be seen in the rise of the iPhone, a ubiquitous consumer device, as an enterprise device nearly on par with the BlackBerry.
Additionally, with 47% of respondents stating their company does not manage the security for their mobile devices, despite its use for corporate information, the survey also sheds light on the need for clear mobile email security practices at the enterprise level. These findings give further weight to ongoing industry concern about the possibility of "rogue" mobile devices - devices that are lost or fall into the wrong hands, becoming easy entry-points for hackers or competitors to access confidential enterprise data.
For solution providers, the survey offers a roadmap to tap into the enterprise mobile opportunity: email security and mobile device management. Successful Intermedia partners have leveraged Intermedia's Exchange hosted email platform to meet user demands and to best position users to overcome security challenges. For example, iPhone users, with Intermedia's cost effective hosting services, are able to access all of Microsoft Exchange's productivity-enhancing and secure features through their devices. By accessing corporate email via Exchange through ActiveSync capability, enterprises are assured that their information is synced securely. In addition, ActiveSync enables remote wiping, which allows the administrator to remotely erase all corporate email or data should the device be lost or stolen. All this functionality comes in a cost-effective, secure, easy to manage software as a service (Saas) delivery model.
"This new survey data confirms that enterprises do not have homogeneous mobile device or mobile platform landscapes," said Danny Essner, Director of Marketing, Intermedia. "Intermedia recognizes that the demand for secure mobile email services across devices and platforms will only continue to grow. As with our BlackBerry and iPhone offerings, we will continue to enhance our solutions to best meet the needs of customers and partners, regardless of whether they are in an office or remote."