Pokemon GO or No Go? Mobile Games May Pose More Risks to Companies beyond Employee Distraction

ITASCA, IL--(Marketwired - October 18, 2016) - 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 centralized, 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 organization'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 organizations 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.

Resources:

Download the Report.

Learn more about:

• AdminStudio Suite
• AdminStudio
• AdminStudio Virtualization
• AdminStudio Application Compatibility
• AdminStudio Application Inventory and Rationalization
• AdminStudio Mac and Mobile
• App Portal
• Workflow Manager
• FlexNet Manager Suite

Follow Flexera Software on…

• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google+
• RSS

About Flexera Software

Flexera Software helps application producers and enterprises increase application usage and security, enhancing the value they derive from their software. Our software licensing, compliance, cybersecurity and installation solutions are essential to ensure continuous licensing compliance, optimized software investments, and to future-proof businesses against the risks and costs of constantly changing technology. A marketplace leader for more than 25 years, 80,000+ customers turn to Flexera Software as a trusted and neutral source of knowledge and expertise, and for the automation and intelligence designed into our products. For more information, please go to: www.flexerasoftware.com.

Copyright^© 2016 Flexera Software LLC. All other brand and product names mentioned herein may be the trademarks and registered trademarks of their respective owners.

(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.

Attachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/10/17/11G118345/2016_10_18_Mobile_Games_AR_Report_Infographic-dd5c3b4efcdab1b48d17d42f4191a7eb.pdf