One in five businesses allow personal devices without policies

One in five companies allow employees to use personal devices at work without having a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy in place, a survey from Intrinsic Technology has found. Adam Jarvis, chief executive at Intrinsic Technology, commented: "Businesses cannot blindly allow staff to use their own devices – there should be a detailed policy which addresses the security issues."

The cloud computing and unified communications specialist questioned CIOs from companies with 1000 or more employees. Their key concern regarding BYOD was security - with over 60% of CIOs admitting it was their main worry. However, the lack of policies suggests that many businesses are putting too much focus on the benefits – such as improved employee productivity and motivation – whilst ignoring the security issues.

Adam continued: "A well planned BYOD scheme can move businesses ahead of the technological curve, so it's understandable that many organisations are rushing to reap the rewards. However, a policy should take into account every risk – especially those that threaten data security. Businesses should seek guidance and advice from experts before hastily giving the green light.