Concerns about the safety of mobile data are delaying rollouts of mobile systems, according to Symantec

Most firms are refusing to roll out wireless and remote devices to staff because of security concerns, according to a new global survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, published this week by web security firm Symantec.

The survey found that over 60 percent of companies are delaying because of security fears. More than three-quarters believe the damage from virus attacks would be the same or greater on a mobile network than on a fixed network, and only one in 10 had a comprehensive security strategy which included mobile devices.

"The cost of ownership goes up and ensuring compliance [becomes more difficult] by taking a Band-aid approach to [securing devices]," said Symantec's Ollie Whitehouse. "Careless employees pose a bigger risk in the short term than criminals, [because of] lost and stolen devices."

User education is vital for mobile security, said Whitehouse. By using the features available on many devices such as password lock-outs and the ability to wipe data remotely from lost devices, 90 percent of the risks associated with users can be mitigated, he argued.

"There are now more devices [than ever] with the potential to store vast amounts of data and link back in to the enterprise so companies need strict policies and procedures in place," Whitehouse said. He added that if firms oppose deployment of mobile devices, “they will arrive by stealth, so [firms] should choose to be prepared for them".

Mark Blowers of analyst firm Butler Group said he was surprised by how many respondents were not deploying mobile systems, but agreed that IT departments should have the policies and infrastructure in place to manage devices when they appear.

Meanwhile, antivirus specialist Kaspersky published research last week showing a rise in the number of attacks on mobile devices, but said it was not yet a major problem. "We're still in the proof-of-concept phase and it'll p robably be around two years before we see mobile malicious code as a serious problem," said Kaspersky's senior technology consultant, David Emm. " Corporations don't need to be overly concerned, but it's a good time to think about existing [security] policies and how mobiles will fit into that."

Emm added that crooks are unlikely to target mobile devices in earnest until take-up of such kit and the amount of sensitive data stored on them increases significantly.