Tablets are fast gaining interest in enterprise segments, where security has long been a major concern, but IT managers are slowly softening to the idea of supporting employee-owned devices. However, tablet users, it turns out, are transferring sensitive information at a greater rate than even smartphone owners, according to a March 10 report from Harris Interactive.
The news could be a boon for Research In Motion, at least in the short term. The BlackBerry maker is expected to release its PlayBook tablet by the summer, and is aiming it at the enterprise. However, lurking in the background is Apple, which dominates the tablet space with its iPad and is growing its reputation for secure products.
While 30 percent of the 2,300-plus adults polled in a late-January survey admitted to using their smartphones to transfer sensitive data, 48 percent of tablet owners said the same. Additionally, 20 percent of tablet owners said they transfer sensitive data for business use, while 42 percent said the data was personal. Among smartphone owners, 26 percent said they transferred personal data, while 14 percent said the data was for professional use.
The survey additionally found results to skew according to age and gender.
"Men are more likely than women to say they are at least confident in the security of the data that is being transferred over their smartphone or tablet—47 percent versus 34 percent, respectively," the firm said a statement.
And the younger the adults, the more likely they were to transfer sensitive data. Those 18 to 34 were more likely to than those aged 35 to 44, who were in turn more likely than those aged 45 to 54, and so on.
For more, read the eWEEK article: Tablet Users More Likely to Transfer Sensitive Data: Report.
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