Organisations are being challenged to meet demands for greater mobility as most IT departments in SA still restrict users from accessing sensitive corporate data and resources from mobile devices.
This is according to a recent survey among South African IT decision-makers by Gemalto, presented at a media briefing yesterday in Johannesburg.
Gemalto polled 900 IT decision-makers across the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Benelux, Middle East, Hong Kong and 50 respondents were from SA.
According to the survey, despite all organisations having users who require mobile or remote access, 98% of IT departments in SA are facing obstacles to increased user mobility in their organisation, primarily from IT management overheads.
Almost all South African respondents (90%) are concerned that their organisation will be breached or hacked as a result of credential theft or compromise.
This is exacerbated by the rise in mobile endpoints within organisations, as most organisations reported to have, on average, two mobile end points per user and managing three sets of credentials per user, says Gemalto.
Additionally, 27% of South African IT support tickets result from lost or forgotten usernames and passwords.
Jeremy Osborne, business development director for Africa at Gemalto, says passwords are becoming more and more complicated and a nightmare, as users need them for a variety of applications and Web sites.
The key to providing uniform protection for many applications is by centrally implementing two-factor authentication for both cloud and on-premises applications, he adds.
In an effort to overcome the security challenges around mobility, the majority of IT departments in RSA plan to implement two-factor authentication for access to cloud applications, says the study.
By having the ability to implement uniform policies that address security threats in a consistent way, two-factor authentication can at the same time streamline access to numerous applications, it adds.
Neil Cosser, identity and data protection manager for Africa at Gemalto, says the pressure is on for South African IT departments to accommodate demands for greater mobility as employees crave new and flexible approaches to working.
Organisations that are not open to this change are very likely to be inhibiting business productivity, he adds.
According to Cosser, the need for strong authentication and as-a-service delivery will serve vital functions in making this happen securely.
In doing so, South African companies will be better placed to protect the identities of their users, without sacrificing on productivity or data protection, he explains.
"The growing use of cloud applications and mobile devices within businesses, combined with rising threats, and the need to reduce costs, require entirely new considerations for access control.
Clearly there is an immediate need for authentication, and access management solutions that can help SA organisations solve these challenges," concluded Cosser.
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