Why firms are cautious about augmented reality despite business benefits: ISACA

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However, a new study from global business technology and cybersecurity association ISACA shows organisations still hesitate to use AR for business.

Only 21 per cent of the 6,591 professionals surveyed for ISACA's annual IT Risk/Reward Barometer are convinced the benefits of AR outweigh the risks.

The majority remains unsure, says ISACA.

“We expect to see this number change in the very near future as businesses begin to view AR as a valuable technology that results in positive business outcomes, including improved training, education, marketing and customer experience,” says Rob Clyde, board director of ISACA and executive advisor at BullGuard Software.

The ISACA survey finds security concerns and insufficient ROI are among the top barriers to adoption of AR.

“Augmented reality is here and will be a powerful business tool in the near future,” states Clyde. “Early adopters could gain a first-mover advantage over their competitors.

“Like most new technologies, augmented reality does increase the attack surface for cyberthreats. Early adopters need to ensure that security is built in from the beginning,” he adds.

“Enterprises need to work on being agile and applying sound measures around governance, security and risk management to fully realise the benefits of these technology advances," states Clyde.

Virtual graffiti?

Clyde says cites organisations should proactively monitor virtual graffiti apps, even if they are not actively using AR.

Virtual graffiti uses AR technology to deface buildings, landmarks and other surfaces with negative, unauthorised imagery. Yet, the survey finds only 6 per cent of organisations have a program in place to monitor it.

Consumers already are using augmented reality apps, he tells CIO New Zealand.

“Some of them leverage social media posts, blogs and posted photos and videos about specific locations, buildings or images corresponding to a business.

“These may include virtual graffiti, disparaging comments, or damaging information that will be easily visible to the user of the augmented reality app – for instance, when the user points a smartphone camera at a place of business, logo or advertisement.

“Enterprises need to ensure that they have clear policies around employees’ social media use and the capability to monitor for inappropriate material that might appear in augmented reality apps.”

In light of these, ISACA lists some of the steps organisations can consider:

· Extend social media monitoring to AR platforms. Leverage and extend current social media policies and monitoring to augmented reality platforms.

· Consider how AR can improve your business. Training, diagnostics and marketing are three areas with particularly strong potential.

· Review your governance framework and update your policies. Incorporate use of AR as part of the business into organisational policies and procedures—including BYOD (bring your own device) and privacy policies.

· Build security into every part of the process. Security is a crucial component of AR initiatives that helps ensure confidence in the data.