Although it is well known that unverified apps are a huge security threat to every business, most workers don't care.
That's according to a new report from the unwieldy application security platform Cerby.
Surveying more than 500 professionals in North America and the UK employed by large companies, Cerby found that 92% of them want full control over the apps they deploy for work.
Loss of confidence
More than half (51%) continue to use their favorite office software, productivity apps, and collaboration tools, even though IT has specifically banned them. Additionally, 52% want IT to "get out of the way."
“There is a gulf between the perception of organizational control over technologies used for business purposes and the reality of employees deploying their own favorite applications. Companies ignore this trend at their peril,” said Cerby co-founder and CEO Belsasar Lepe. "We all understand why employers reject certain applications, but this is not a feasible long-term policy."
Elsewhere, Cerby found that 60% of employees and managers believe that by blocking an app, management is actually showing that they don't really trust their employees. As a result, employees would have a lower opinion of their organizations.
Additionally, a quarter (25%) do not want their IT or security departments to have the final say on the apps they use, while a fifth (19%) of those whose favorite apps have been blocked ultimately ignored the decision and they continued to use them, use them.
According to Cerby, the problems started with the pandemic. It was those early days of the pandemic, and the panic that followed, that allowed employees to use the apps they wanted, as long as they got the job done.
In the early months of the pandemic, most companies focused on continuity and productivity, rather than security, Cerby argues. This sentiment has now “taken root” and today employees and managers are reluctant to give up this newfound freedom.
