Sixty percent of organizations surveyed recently said that security issues related to handheld devices have increased over the last 12 months, but most still ignore security training, according to research released Monday.

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) announced Monday that theft of data and confidential information is a growing concern for companies, especially when it comes to mobile technology, such as handheld devices and laptops. Still, only 32% of organizations have implemented any security awareness training for mobile and remote workers, according to CompTIA.

Only 10% plan to implement security training in the next 12 months, according to the research from TNS Prognostics. Of the 1,070 organizations surveyed, 55% said that security issues related to wireless networks have grown over the past 12 months. And almost 80% of the organizations surveyed allow data access by remote or mobile employees.

"The increasing pervasiveness of remote access to confidential data and applications by mobile employees, and the implementation of wireless networks, are raising the stakes for corporate IT departments," John Venator, president and CEO of CompTIA, said in a statement. "As access extends beyond the four walls of the organization to satellite offices, home-based workers and mobile employees, each remote connection or access point is another potential security vulnerability that must be secured."

Venator said organizations that fail to train their mobile workers in security basics are "doing themselves a great disservice."

"Nearly 90% of organizations that have implemented awareness training for remote and mobile workers believe that the number of security breaches they've encountered has been reduced," he said.