Security woes put mobile adoption on hold

More than 60 percent of companies worldwide are holding off on wireless and remote computing because of security concerns, according to a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit published on Tuesday.

The survey of about 240 executives was sponsored by Symantec, which just happens to sell products that could relief such security concerns.

The researchers also asked how many companies actually use software to secure mobile data. In Western Europe 55 percent said they did, compared to 44 percent in Asia-Pacific and just 36 percent in North America, according to the survey.

Nearly half of all respondents said security products are too expensive and complex. Five businesses had already experienced financial loss due to attacks via mobile data platforms, according to the researchers.

Sellers of security products like to sponsor surveys that indicate a need for their products. Last year, Symantec also did a survey on smart phone owners and viruses.

Mobile insecurity is a hot topic, with several vendors vying for market share in that emerging market. Having security software on laptops and PDAs seems sensible these days, but it is still early days for the mobile phone threat and experts have said the threat is overblown.