Cisco, BT survey: Only 36 percent of companies have a BYOD policy

Cisco and BT have teamed up to uncover more about the impact of the "bring your own device" trend (a.k.a. BYOD) on enterprise networks -- and the results could be worrisome.

In the first of a few reports scheduled to roll out over the next few weeks, the networking giants found that only 36 percent of companies have a BYOD policy already in place.

The suggestion that nearly two-thirds of businesses might not be taking this shift seriously is troubling to researchers, with the chief concern being security.

Thus, it shouldn't come as a surprise that researchers also found that roughly one-third of companies have already experienced a security breach due to people bringing in unauthorized devices.

Furthermore, nearly half (49 percent) of organizations surveyed replied that security concerns (i.e. malware, etc.) have prevented adoption of BYOD -- and will continue to prevent adoption in the future.

Researchers admitted that "this is for good reason" given that 82 percent of businesses with BYOD policies in place acknowledged they have dealt with security risks as a result of personal devices in the workplace.

Paradoxically, researchers did find overwhelming positivity regarding BYOD among IT managers and employees. N

early 84 percent of IT managers were said to believe that having a BYOD policy could offer a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Additionally, the most common "hope" found among IT managers at companies where BYOD is already accepted and regulated was that the more flexible policies would be increased productivity.

For reference, Cisco and BT surveyed approximately 2,200 office workers, business and IT decision makers across 13 countries and nine business verticals.

Charts via Cisco, BT