Companies urgently need to build mobile phone-specific security into their corporate networks, it is claimed, which could lead to job roles for IT contractors.

According to the portfolio manager for Damovo UK Alex Donnelly, the threat from mobile devices is becoming increasingly severe.

He recalls that the first mobile phone-specific worm appeared in 2009, while since then the number of mobile phones used on business wireless networks and applications has increased dramatically.

"If a worm is able to propagate into the corporate network much more damage could be done, this is where mobile device management can be utilised to minimise the risk," Mr Donnelly explains.

His comments follow the publication of research by Damovo, which gauged the opinion of UK IT managers.

Of those polled, 92 per cent of respondents believed security threats will increase in tandem with a rise in remote working, with 88 per cent wanting better visibility of employees' mobile usage as a result.