BYOD is not data security compliant: Cisco-DSCI study

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Even as organizations are increasingly eying at BYOD concept, the new Cisco Systems and Data Security Council of India (DSCI) study reveals loopholes in network security landscape. The research work titled: 'Reinventing the Network in the Context of Security' finds many challenges to guard cyber threats.

While enterprise-wide BYOD policies are facilitating workforce productivity and time-efficiency, data security remains vulnerable. The study revealed that the current generation of security solution implemented by organizations in India can protect them form traditional threats, but are not enough to address ever-evolving threat landscape.

Based on conversation with India's security leaders and CIOs, the finding discloses that 56 per cent of the respondents felt that current solutions are ineffective in managing security of mobile, BYOD and virtualization. They also said that they do not have capabilities to integrate internal and external intelligence.

Among other concerns, 46 per cent of security leaders surveyed responded that the adoption of cloud is leading to multiple connection of external application and externally provisioned systems. Moreover, 40 per cent of them believe that cloud storage is resulting in data residing outside organizational infrastructure.

The challenges, as 77 per cent of the respondents believe include attacks originating from multiple channels while attack payload is getting increasingly advanced. 40 per cent of the security leaders consider that securing advanced mobility-enabled enterprise applications, is a key challenge.

Vinayak Godse, director, Data Protection at DSCI said that IT infrastructure has evolved from a limited set of corporate devices to include a repertoire of end-user applications, device and usage patterns.

"The current capabilities are not sufficient enough to cater the challenges posed by the technology transformations and persistent threats," Godse said.

Cisco India and SAARC national manager, Borderless Networks sales Mahesh Gupta said that risks from external and internal threats are continuously increasing, with this; the role of the network has also undergone a major transformation.

"CIOs today need to look at a security framework that is robust, integrated and pervasive," added Gupta.