Security issues may hamper BYOD adoption.

• Position: MOBILE DEVICES - Bring your own device

Analysts are predicting that the global bring your own device (BYOD) and enterprise mobility market will hit $360 billion by 2020. While BYOD policies are boosting employee productivity and flexibility, security issues may be impeding their growth and implementation, according to a recent survey.

Crowd Research Partners surveyed 800 cybersecurity professionals for the "2016 BYOD and Mobile Security Report." Around three-quarters of those surveyed reported that their companies implemented BYOD policies for employees, 23% allowed BYOD for contractors, and 16% set up their policies on the company's partners' devices. In addition, 14% extended the service to their customers.

More than half of respondents noted that BYOD policies at their companies increased employee mobility, satisfaction, and productivity, while just under half cited reduced costs as an added benefit.

The survey also found, though, that security risks and mobile data breaches are increasing. It revealed that 39% of employees are worried about BYOD security, and 12% have concerns about the privacy of their data. More than 70% of the cybersecurity professionals surveyed cited data leakage or loss as their top BYOD concerns, while a little more than half also cited unauthorized access, user downloads of unsafe apps or content, and malware.

The survey revealed additional key insights on BYOD adoption and risks, including:

* Almost 40% of respondents noted that BYOD devices or corporate devices have downloaded malware, while 21% noted that mobile devices were involved in security breaches at their companies. About 25% said these devices had...