Survey results: use of mobile devices (Smartphones, Tablets) for emailing documents with associated risk of metadata leakage,

1. 3BView Survey Results
Mobile Device Usage and Document Security 2010
www.3bview.com
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 1 www.3bview.com

2. Executive Summary
At the end of 2010, 3BView conducted the second annual survey titled “Mobile Device Usage and Document
Security”.
The sophistication of today’s mobile devices such as Blackberry, iPhone, PDAs and tablets including the iPad
presents a practical and cost-effective alternative to laptops. Leading mobile devices can access internal systems
and business applications, and enable the review, edit and forwarding of documents.
The survey was focused on understanding how these devices are being used in the day-to-day practice of a legal
professional, and received 265 responses. The key findings of the survey are:
 As with the 2009 survey, virtually all of the respondents use a Smartphone as their primary mobile device
for business purposes. Blackberry still leads (83%) but is more closely followed by the iPhone (73% up from
52%). In the 2010 survey respondents are reporting using more than one device for example an iPad along
with a Smartphone.
 The iPad, despite only being launched in 2010, has proved popular with law firms with 51% of respondents
saying that their firm already supports their use.
 Compared with the 2009 survey more firms have accepted that they must support any mobile device rather
than mandating the use of only one or a limited number of mobile devices.
 The use of mobile devices as an alternative to laptops for storing, accessing and working with both
documents and emails is remains high:
 More than 50% of respondents have mobile access to the firm’s documents stored on a centralized
system with over a quarter via mobile-enabled Document Management Systems.
 60% report reviewing documents via their mobile, with 37% doing so on a daily or weekly basis. A
fifth of the respondents edit documents on their mobile device.
 91% of the respondents use their mobile device for business e-mail and the vast majority of them
forward e-mails with documents attached.
 Over 82% of firms with 51+ attorneys have a metadata tool in place, which decreases to 53% for smaller
firms. 13% of these firms have protection for documents sent or forwarded via e-mail from a mobile device,
an increase from 3% in the 2009 survey.
 62% of the respondents view the risk of metadata leakage via documents sent or forwarded via a mobile
device, as medium-high over the next 12 months. Given that only 13% of all firms have protection in place
today, there is still a significant gap between the perception of mobile device risk and current business
practice. This is recognized by some of the respondents as they added comments that they are looking to
implement a server based metadata removal tool (either on its own or as part of a desktop and server
based solution).
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 2 www.3bview.com

3. Demographics
Legal Professionals within Respondent’s Firm How many attorneys do you have in your firm?
Of the 265 replies to this survey there is a balanced
1-10
response from firms with 1-50 attorneys, 51-250
attorneys and those firms with 251+ attorneys. This is 24% 18% 6% 11-50
a more even spread than the respondents to the 2009 15% 37% 51-250
survey. 251-500
More than 500
Main Office Location
The majority of the responses came from North American based firms:
North America 85%
Europe 13%
Other 2%
Role in Firm
The respondents played a number of different roles within their firms:
• 10% - C Level
• 16% - Director Level
• 31% - Manager Level
• 43% - Other
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 3 www.3bview.com

4. Mobile Device Types
Types of Mobile Device in Use within the Respondent’s Firm
The Blackberry remains the most popular mobile
What types of mobile devices are in use within your
device with a similar number (83%) of respondents firm?
reporting usage. However, this year the iPhone is a
closer second with 73% reporting usage compared Other 38 iPhone
with 52% in the 2009 survey. The newcomer, the Android 54 Blackberry
iPad, is in use at just over half of the respondents
iPad 136 Palm
firms.
Palm 35 iPad
Blackberry 220 Android
73% of respondents reported that they have more Other
iPhone 194
than one mobile device in use within their firm – up
from just over half of the firms who took part in the 0 100 200 300
survey last year.
In addition, 29% of firms can see that there will be firm wide policy within 2011 to support ANY mobile device, with 50%
looking at a firm wide policy to standardize on 2 or 3 mobile device types. Firms looking to enforce a single mobile
device support policy have decreased from 36% in 2009 to 19% in the 2010 survey.
The Primary Mobile Device Used for Business Purposes by the Respondents
Although the use of the iPhone by the respondents
What is the primary mobile device that you currently
themselves has increased from the last survey (20% use for business purposes?
up from 14%), the Blackberry remains the main
mobile devices used by the respondents for
iPhone
business purposes.
Blackberry
iPad
Interestingly only 3% of respondents use iPads
Palm
themselves, even though over half of the firms
Android
have them in use.
Other
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 4 www.3bview.com

5. Business Documents and Mobile Devices
Storage of and Access to Business Documents
More than half (53%) of respondents have mobile device access to documents stored by the firm on a centralized
system, with over a quarter of respondents reporting that this access is to their firm’s document management system.
In addition to this a third of the respondents report storing business documents on their mobile device.
These results are similar to those from the 2009 survey.
Review or Editing of Documents on Mobile Devices
To the question, ‘How often do you review a document on your mobile device?’ 60% reported that they review
documents on mobile devices.
Review of documents Editing Documents
Every Day Every Day
13% 3% 7%
39% At least once a
10% At least once a
24% week week
At least once per At least once per
month month
24% Never 80% Never
From responses to the question ‘How frequently do you make edits, however minor, to documents on your mobile
device?’ a fifth of the respondents reported making edits to documents on mobile devices.
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 5 www.3bview.com

6. Mobile Devices and Business E-mail
Access to Business E-mail
No one will be surprised that the business practice of accessing emails in the workplace via a mobile device remains high
as reported by 91% of respondents. As with the 2009 survey a significant number of respondents, 62%, do so more than
10 times a day.
Review and Forwarding of E-mails with
How regularly do you forward e-mails that have
Documents Attached documents attached from your mobile device?
83% of respondents forward e-mails with documents
attached via their mobile device, a similar percentage Every Day
to the 2009 survey. 17% 30%
23% At least once a week
30%
At least once per month
Never
Percentages are also similar in successive surveys for How regularly do you attach a document to an
the respondents who attach a document to an email via e-mail and then send from your mobile device?
their mobile device.
8%
This is as expected as figures for access to a firm’s 12% Every Day
documents and storage on mobile devices remain the 61% 19% At least once a week
At least once per month
same.
Never
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 6 www.3bview.com

7. Metadata Removal
Metadata Removal Solution in Place
Based on the results of the 2010 survey, we found that 80% of the firms have a metadata removal tool. The
majority of the tools in place are on desktops and/or laptops. However 13% have either a server based tool or a
combination of desktop and server solution (up from 3%) that automatically covers all of the firm’s mobile
devices.
Looking at the results by size of law firm, 82.5% of firms with 51 or more attorneys have a metadata removal tool
in place; this reduces to 53% for law firms with 50 or fewer attorneys.
Risk of Document Metadata Leakage from Mobile Devices
When asked how the risk of document metadata
leakage is viewed for mobile devices compared with How do you view the risk of metadata leakage from
documents sent via mobile devices?
desktops, 62% of the respondents consider that it
has the same risk as if documents were sent from a
desktop. The remaining 38% of those surveyed say
38% The same as if they were sent from a
that, to date, they have not considered the risk of desktop
62%
metadata leakage from documents sent on their Have not considered it to date
mobile device.
The likelihood or threat of a leak of sensitive How do you view the threat of document metadata
information via metadata contained in a document leakage from mobile devices over the next 12 months?
sent from a mobile device at some point over the
next year is viewed as being medium to high by 63% Zero
6%
of the respondents. 16% Low risk
15% Medium to High
63% Other
Both of these results are in line with the findings
from the 2009 survey.
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 7 www.3bview.com

8. 3BView
3BView is a global leader in metadata removal across multiple device types and access methods, enabling enterprises
and government agencies to secure their documents, avoid commercial and reputational risks, and comply with
regulatory requirements.
3BClean is a server-based software system that enables automated and policy-based metadata removal from documents
sent by e-mail, and those contained within Content and Document Management Systems. The system enables a practical
and consistent level of protection across desktop, laptop (including Macs) and mobile devices and access methods, such
as Blackberry, iPhone, PDA, iPad and other tablets, Netbooks and webmail.
3BClean is designed to be easily integrated into Extranets, Portals, Document Management Systems and other Business
and Back Office Systems.
3BCleanDocs is a cloud-based metadata removal service for solos and small firms who use webmail and mobile devices.
It can also provide protection for the mobile legal professional in large organizations. To register for a complimentary
one month subscription, please visit www.3bclean.com.
To learn how to protect your mobile devices from document metadata leakage, please visit www.3bview.com.
©3BView Ltd 2011 Page 8 www.3bview.com