14 DAY TRIAL // Due to the fact that the shipment as well as use of smartphones is constantly increasing, mobile phones are now much more attractive targets for hackers. Up until smartphones became popular, malware targeting mobile phones was nonexistent. This just proves that the more advanced mobile phones become, it will also be more difficult to provide mobile security. Now, according to ABI Research, the newest and most intriguing market opportunity for mobile security is the growth of mobile device security managed devices.
"There have been close to thirty different types of attack on mobile devices within the past two years", vice president and networking research director Stan Schatt says. According to him, the mobile device security managed services market will increase in size from around $100 million in 2006 to well over $500 million in 2011. "While Sprint is now the sole U.S. mobile operator offering such a security service," says Schatt, "we believe others will join in shortly, just as they have in Europe."
For mobile operators, there are several advantages regarding the offer of security services. By providing such a service, mobile operators can improve their relationship with their best commercial customers, generate more data traffic as well as increase their revenue. Several companies are interested in managed mobile device security services, including F-Secure, Adaptive Mobile and Bluefire who were early to this market, followed by Trend Micro, McAffee or Symantec. According to the research, the services will - at first - grow faster among commercial subscribers in Europe and Southeast Asia.
"Consumers are much more price-sensitive than commercial customers," notes Schatt, "and they are less knowledgeable about the threat malware presents to mobile devices. As their use of smartphones increases over the next two years though, consumers will also become targets for managed security services."