"The 2014 Mobilometer Tracker: Mobility, Security, and the Pressure In Between,".

With the proliferation of connected mobile devices, the sophistication of cyber attacks, security remains the major concern within the organizations and enterprises.

Connectikpeople.co has captured "The 2014 Mobilometer Tracker: Mobility, Security, and the Pressure In Between," which highlights the most critical findings of the Secure Mobilometer, a self-assessment tool to better understand mobile security pressure points and vulnerabilities. Report Reveals Gap between

Policies and Government Secure Mobility Behaviors.

Connectikpeople.co has observed that, commissioned by Cisco, the report reveals that 41 percent of the government employees who used the assessment tool are putting themselves and their agencies at risk with existing mobile device habits.

According to the report, 90 percent of government employee respondents use at least one mobile device: laptop, smartphone, and/or tablet, for work purposes. Many government respondents are taking basic steps to secure agency data. 86 percent lock their computer when away from their desk; additionally, 86 percent have a safe and alternative workplace compatible for work, and 78 percent always store files in a secure location. 57 percent of respondents who took the assessment from an agency/enterprise-wide perspective are failing to secure agency data, with gaps in mobile policies and security systems.

Connectikpeople.co also observes that, despite these secure actions, government employees are not showing the same caution for mobile devices. They are practicing potentially dangerous behaviors, including the use of public Wi-Fi (31 percent), a lack of multifactor authentication or data encryption (52 percent), and failure to use passwords on mobile devices for work (25 percent). Nearly one in three admits to using an "easy" password and six percent of those admit to having it written down.

Connectikpeople.co discovered that, when the appropriate security policies and procedures are in place and enforced, a mobile workforce can be a tremendous asset to a government agency. However, 57 percent of respondents who took the assessment from an agency/enterprise-wide perspective are failing to secure agency data, with gaps in mobile policies and security systems. Despite the Federal Digital Government Strategy, more than one in four government employees have not received mobile security training from their agencies. Additionally, just 50 percent of respondents noted that their agencies have formal, employee-focused mobile device programs. Half of the agencies that took the assessment are missing fundamental mobile security steps, like utilizing a remote wipe function, or adding multifactor authentication or data encryption on mobile devices.

Government respondents scored considerably safer on the Secure Mobilometer than their private-sector counterparts. Therefore, here is what the private-sector can learn.

• Know your workforce: 97 percent of government respondents who telework say they have a formal telework agreement in place versus just 56 percent of private-sector respondents
• Know your devices: 53 percent of government agencies require employees to register mobile devices with the IT department versus just 21 percent of private-sector organizations
• Require training: 53 percent of government agencies require all employees to take regular security training related to mobile devices versus just 13 percent of private-sector organizations
• Minimize risks: in a world where IT leaders must support users' private devices, security becomes paramount, and 15 percent of government respondents have downloaded a non-work-related app onto the mobile device they use for work versus 60 percent of private-sector respondents

This report reflects the calculator inputs of 155 individual government responses and 30 agency responses. It also reflects the input of 97 individual and 24 organization responses from the private sector. You can download the full study, by visiting: www.mobileworkexchange.com/2014tracker.

About Mobile Work Exchange

Mobile Work Exchange is a public-private partnership focused on demonstrating the value of mobility and telework, and serving the emerging educational and communication requirements of the Federal mobile/telework community. The organization facilitates communication to more than 33,000 Federal IT directors/managers, CIOs, CHCOs, telework managing officers, and key stakeholders–all focused on building a sustainable and effective mobile workforce. For more information on Mobile Work Exchange, please visit www.mobileworkexchange.com .