Your mobile strategy needs to consider the user's point of view and the highly dynamic nature of the mobile threat landscape.  Weighing the threat risk includes evaluating the cost of insecure mobile devices.

User Point of View

The Cisco 2014 Connected World Technology Research tracked the users' outlooks on the evolving work environment.  Being mobile, off premise with your device was well noted.
?    Most believe a flexible, mobile and remote work model is competitive.
?    Over 25% work from organizations that allow working from home (WFH).
?    Over 50% consider themselves available 24 hours 7 days.
?    Most believe the most connected device for work will be the smartphone in 2020.
The trend for mobile remote work environments cannot be disputed but the mobile device threat vector expands to a broader range of access points. This puts your corporate resources at risk of being corrupted or stolen. Let's consider the cost of an insecure mobile environment.

Cost of Insecure Mobile Devices

Ponemon Research offers an economic framework to estimate this cost.  It notes on average, the yearly cost of lost or stolen devices to be$3.4M and for malware-ridden mobile devices to be$3.65M.

Answer to Securing the Remote Mobile Workspace

There is no question the need for off-premise mobile support with a smartphone or tablet continues to increase. This allows your employees to be highly productive anywhere and anytime with a small and convenient device. Consider the sales person checking prices from his personal tablet in the customer's conference room. Is this sensitive price information secure?

Learn more regarding how to further secure remote mobile devices with the new Cisco AnyConnect 4.0 with per-App VPN for mobile devices!