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Pokémon GO or No Go? Mobile Games May Pose More Risks to Companies beyond Employee Distraction
October 2016 by Flexera Software
Augmented reality, fueled most recently by
the Pokémon GO sensation, and virtual reality gaming opportunities are beginning to
really open up on mobile platforms. According to IDC, the number of smartphone and
tablet gamers should increase to more than 1.9 billion in 2020. Millions of mobile
device users are predicted to play these types of games within a few years, and the
workplace is not immune. According to a new report, “It’s Not All Fun and Games:
A BYOD Reality Check for Companies”, many of these popular apps could violate
corporate risk policies.
“Some employees care about data security and privacy when they curate the apps
they download to their mobile phones, but many don’t,” said Maureen Polte, Vice
President of Product Management at Flexera Software. “When those phones are Bring
Your Own Device, poor employee choices suddenly impact corporate risk. That is why
Application Readiness automation – commonly used by companies to test their
enterprise applications – must be extended to mobile apps, so CIOs can have a firm
understanding of which ones violate their BYOD policies.”
The report found that of the almost 60 popular Apple iOS mobile games tested[1]:
– 73 percent, including Angry Birds, AR Defender 2, Bejeweled Classic,
Bubble Shooter, Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Color Switch, Game of War, Mobile
Strike, Pokémon GO and Slither, support Location Services & Tracking.
– 68 percent, including Angry Birds, Bejeweled Classic, Bubble Shooter,
Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Color Switch, Game of War, Mobile Strike and Slither,
support Social Networking.
– 58 percent, including Angry Birds, Bejeweled Classic, Bubble Shooter,
Clash of Clans, Clash Royale, Color Switch and Slither, support Calendar Access.
– 54 percent, including Angry Birds, AR Defender 2, Bejeweled Classic,
Bubble Shooter, Color Switch and Slither, support SMS.
“Unfortunately, not all mobile app developers are trustworthy,” added Polte.
“CIOs must have a centralised, automated and repeatable Application Readiness
process to identify and test those apps to determine what they do, and whether they
comply or collide with an organisation’s BYOD policies.
To compile the report, Flexera Software identified almost 60 widely used gaming
applications, representing a small sampling of those that can be found in the Apple
App Store and that could easily be downloaded by employees to a corporate-issued or
BYOD device. These apps were tested using AdminStudio Mac® and Mobile, an
Application Readiness solution that helps organisations identify, manage, track and
report on mobile apps, simplify mobile application management, reduce mobile app
risk, and address the rapidly growing demand for mobile apps in the enterprise.
[1]The apps tested were: 100 Balls, Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio, AR Defender 2,
Baby Twins – Terrible Two, Batman: Arkham Underworld, Bejeweled Classic, Bubble
Shooter, Buddyman Run, Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, Clash of Kings, Clash Royale,
Color Switch, Cookie Jam, Crossy Road, CSR Racing 2, Despicable Me: Minion Rush,
Dictator: Emergence, Diner Dash, Disney Emoji Blitz, Doodle Jump Free, Drop Out,
Eggs, Inc., Episode – Choose Your Story, Farm Heroes, Farm Heroes Saga, FIFA 16
Ultimate Team, Game of War, Hand of God, Happy Wheels, Harvest Swap, Hay Day, Hungry
Shark Evolution, Ingress, Jetpack Joyride, Kendall and Kylie, Micro Machines, Mobile
Strike, Mr Jump, NBA Live Mobile, PartyPoker, Piano Tiles, Pokémon GO, Quizduell,
Rolling Sky, Slither.io, Snappy Bird: New Season, Soccer Stars, Stack, Steps, Subway
Surfers, Talking Tom Gold Run, Temple Run, Temple Run 2, The Sims FreePlay, Walking
Dead, Words with Friends and Zynga Poker Classic – Texas Holdem.
Download the Report
http://resources.flexerasoftware.com/web/pdf/WhitePaper-AR-BYOD-Mobile-Games-Fun-and-Games.pdf?utm_source=Marketwired&utm_campaign=ARMobileGames2016&utm_medium=PR
