Malware alert

SECURITY

A new report from Juniper Research finds that only 5% of global smartphones and tablet devices have security software installed, despite a steadily increasing threat from malware, fraud and device theft.

The report forecasts that both corporate and personal users will begin to recognise the need to protect their data and the demand for mobile security products will increase over the next five years to a point where 1 in 5 mobile devices will be protected by third party security software.

In addition, the report found that, apart from headline grabbing malware attacks on phones, the risk of crimes such as identity theft will be a strong motivator for users to adopt mobile security software. Device loss or theft affects both consumer and corporate markets and hence demand for security solutions in both sectors will increase.

The new report, Mobile Security Strategies: Threats, Solutions & Market Forecasts 2012-2017 found that, as the security threat increases, and users become more aware of these issues, mobile operators and device vendors need to recognise the potential value that can be achieved by integrating key security features such as ‘Track the Device’ or 'Lock and Wipe’ into their product offerings for customers.

Report author Nitin Bhas notes: “Bundling mobile security apps along with other managed services will not only provide incremental revenue for the service providers, but will also help them guarantee better customer satisfaction and churn”.

The report expects the number of protected consumer devices to overtake protected enterprise devices by 2015, driven by BYOD trends. Employee owned smartphones and tablets used in the enterprise will reach almost 350 million by 2014, it says.