Allowing employees to bring their own mobile devices to work has a very positive effect on productivity, but it also introduces great complexity to corporate networks. This exposes organizations to many security threats that are often left unaddressed, according to the latest infographic from enterprise security software developer Ipswich.

Ninety-five percent of organizations allow employee-owned device to be used in the workplace, and 76 percent expect the decision to have a positive impact on business. But at the same time, 58 percent admit they lack proper employee monitoring, 47 percent of CIOs don’t consider mobile security to be a priority, and 39 percent simply don’t have the budget to implement and enforce BYOD security policies. Hackers are advancing faster than mobile manufacturers and app makers, while over half of enterprises appear to be at a standstill.

In light of these facts, it’s hardly surprising that 51 percent of companies with a BYOD policy in place experienced a mobile data breach. Thirty-eight percent reported stolen or lost data, 31 percent had confidential data stolen, and 7 percent had information destroyed.  Negligent employees are the number one cause of data loss, accounting for 49 percent of all incidents. Malicious software ties at 49 percent.

Each security breach costs organizations an average of $5.5 million, or about $194 per record stolen, corrupted or destroyed. This doesn’t even include the losses caused by the 3.2 percent of customers who leave a company after a successful hack attempt.

Organizations that are quick to jump on the BYOD bandwagon have a tendency of neglecting the security side, but more and more are about recognizing the risks. Ipswich says that 75 percent of US firms consider mobile phones to be a serious threat to the corporate network.  See the full infographic below for more details, courtesy of Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold.