Cloud computing has been a bright spot in a gloomy financial environment, with an increasing number of state and local governments adopting cloud infrastructures to cut IT costs and increase efficiencies. Simultaneously, agencies have seen significant increases in the amount of useful operations and tactical data they are collecting.

But just like chocolate and peanut butter, “Big Data” and the cloud are better together. These two IT trends are about to converge, a marriage that promises to permanently alter the way that agencies collaborate and share data.

Are state and local government networks secure enough for the “bring your own device” (BYOD) trend? Should they be? Current research indicates that most state and local government networks have little or no BYOD program in place, leaving potentially vulnerable holes in their network security. As the trend grows, it is necessary to develop programs ensuring data security across all platforms.

The latest research by Network World and SolarWinds is telling. They found that 60 percent of government agencies surveyed said their agencies didn’t have the appropriate tools to manage personal devices on the enterprise network. Yet the same percentage said their agency allows any employee-owned device to be connected to the network.

And if government employees are as careless as the enterprise end users surveyed by Harris Interactive and security solutions provider ESET, the public sector should take BYOD-related security issues seriously. Nearly a third of those who use their laptop for work use it to connect to public wireless networks; about the same number said that their data and files are not encrypted. About 46 percent of those surveyed have allowed someone else to borrow the personal device they use at work; 37 percent haven’t activated auto-lock.

According to a Washington Post report, a variety of tablets and smartphones were allowed for federal government use just last year, a bold move from the RIM Blackberry-only policy that Washington held staunchly to before. Even President Obama carries a tablet device.

Federal, state and local agencies can expect to realize many benefits from a mobility program, including cost savings, increased productivity and improved citizen service. However, many agencies are not fully prepared for the very costly risks.