The survey - which took in responses from IT decision makers in medium to large-sized firms, and carried out by Vanson Bourne - found that, although 65% of respondents recognised the information security risks to data that the iPhone poses, 64% had not taken any steps to protect their data against the issue.

The problem seems to stem from the fact that the iPhone is a closed operating system, Infosecurity notes, and the only way to open up the handset to third-party applications - i.e. those outside the Apple development fold - is to unlock or `jailbreak' the mobile.

According to DeviceLock, the survey also revealed that 40% of firms knowingly allow staff to download company data onto portable devices without any security protection.

Sasha Chahrvin, DeviceLock UK's managing director, said that the `consumerisation' of corporate IT is an increasing problem for IT departments.

"The amount of removable and mobile memory-enabled devices that employees have on their person at any one time is now quite considerable - be it a USB stick or an iPhone", he said.

"Therefore, we were very surprised to see that most companies were not prepared for this threat", he added.

US-headquartered DeviceLock, which now has operations in the UK, has been steadily raising its end point security profile in Europe.

In January of this year, the company opened a reseller training facility in Rattingen, Germany, to assist its European resellers in learning about the firm's information security technology.

Since then, DeviceLock, which was founded in 1996, has been steadily increasing its reseller base across Europe and, in the UK, now has an extensive dealer channel serviced by its London Regent Street offices.