With only a few days remaining until SC Congress Canada 2012, I've been thinking again about what keeps IT security professionals up at night. Every time I ask my customers, I get a common response: mobility. The Bring Your Own Device phenomenon is weighing heavily on the minds of Canadian’s IT security elite. And they have a good reason to be concerned.

By 2014, 1.1 billion smartphones will be in use. Today, the average mobile worker has three devices:  smartphone, tablet, and laptop. Companies are allowing these devices to connect to their networks, despite their better judgment and the security risks. So, what’s the REAL mobile threat? Why is this a big deal?

New technology drives productivity, but it also increases risk.

Sensitive data on mobile devices travels – physically and electronically – from the office to home and other off-site locations. In addition, we expect to see targeted mobile-device attacks from malware, spyware, malicious downloads/mobile apps, phishing, and spam. That’s why some security experts see smartphones and other mobile devices as one of the most serious new threat vectors to an organization.