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Risky business: Why #GenMobile’s Mobile Lifestyles can Ruin

Security for Your Organisation

As if IT departments and business heads don’t already have enough headaches, Aruba
Networks’ study, titled “Securing #GenMobile: Is Your Business Running the Risk?” revealed
that your next batch of employees could increase your exposure to digital threats and corporate
data loss on mobile devices.

#GenMobile is the term that’s used to describe a generation of people who have shaped their
personal and working lives around mobile devices. Today’s younger employees, the mobile-
natives, are changing the way companies operate by behaving in ways that have far-reaching
implications for corporate network security. But this shift is much more than just a case of ‘we’re
always connected’. It’s about the availability of new (and often free) web-based tools and apps
that rival the functionality and power of anything your company can provide. It’s a complete
behavioural and attitudinal change of direction.

You might be a #GenMobile’r yourself — you might have adapted, consciously or not, to dipping
in and out of work comms at pretty much any time of the day and paying less and less attention
to the old 9-to-5 edict. But to younger generations, this isn’t something new — it’s business as
usual. They’ve never known any other way. And crucially, that means they won’t change (hint:
you might have to).

This is where Aruba Network’s report helps paint a picture of #GenMobile — who they are, how
they behave and how their three most striking working habits could affect your business.

1. Super-productive, super-effective
Let’s start with the positives: the survey found that #GenMobile are productive. Seriously
productive. They get stuff done and they do it well, using all the tools they can get their
hands on. Their innate familiarity with tech means they are self-empowered to power
through their to-do lists. Consumer tech is driving this change: 51% say that mobile
technologies enable them to be more productive and engaged at work.

2. Collaboration, collaboration, collaboration
A huge part of this uptick in productivity is a new culture of sharing and collaboration.
#GenMobile are really good at this. There’s a chance your company already has some
kind of collaboration tool in place or in development, so you don’t need to be reminded
how useful sharing and working together can be.

3. Passwords? Don’t even…
Yet this is where the story takes a darker turn. This self-empowered, ‘get things done’
attitude means security concerns take a backseat. A fact illustrated by rising levels of
security agnosticism: security ranked a lowly fifth in workplace tech priorities for the
#GenMobile workforce.

Furthermore, more than half (56%) of employees will disobey their boss to get something done,
and over three-quarters are happy to perform self-service IT. #GenMobile thinks nothing of
going rogue when it comes to tech.

4 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – April 2016 Edition
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