10 Mobile Security Vendors To Watch
Who are the key players in the fast-changing mobile security world? These 10 mobile operating system and mobile device management vendors should be on your radar screen.
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When the PC era started, security was an afterthought that became more and more important. Things were very different when the world went mobile--device makers and operating system developers, for the most part, gave security a high priority from the beginning.
Apple's iPhone had few security features at its inception, but added stronger security with each iteration of iOS. Google's Android operating system built in a lot of security from the beginning. And as mobile devices play a larger role in our work and personal lives, more companies are offering security features and applications to protect the devices we carry with us all day.
That's why our list of top mobile security vendors includes a variety of company types, not just companies that specialize in mobile security. While some might argue that Apple and Google, as developers of the most popular mobile operating systems, are the most important companies in this market, we've decided to present the list in alphabetical order.
"In the mobile security arena, security by itself is too narrow an aperture through which to look at the mobile problem," says Andrew Jaquith, a former analyst with Forrester Research and chief technology officer of security firm Perimeter E-Security. "It is really about the complete management of the devices."
Indeed, no list would be complete without RIM, because of its focus on enterprise mobility and security.
Large security companies like Symantec and McAfee are not the only ones driving innovation. Startups, such as Lookout and MobileIron, have tackled mobile-specific problems and brought more user-friendly security to both consumers and enterprises. Companies not originally focused on mobile devices, such as VMWare, are bringing their security technology to the mobile platform.
However, as Jaquith notes, it's not just about security. Almost every enterprise will have to avail itself of a mobile-device-management system, such as those from Good Technology, Lookout, McAfee, MobileIron, and Zenprise.
Wireless security firm AirPatrol has expanded into providing companies with situational awareness of their mobile devices. The company's ZoneDefense product uses a network of radio-frequency sensors to detect all wireless and cellular devices within the managed area. AirPatrol's products find and catalog all wireless devices to help companies protect themselves against wireless and cellular attacks. While not a mobile-device management platform, the data generated by the product can inform other company's software.
Known for: ZoneDefense, Wireless Policy Manager products
Apple is the company that put the smarts into smartphones, and its iPhone and iPad tablet have set a high bar for usability as well as security. The company regularly adds new security features to its operating system, and Apple's vetting of every app that is sold in its store has dramatically reduced the threat of malicious code. Apple has successfully popularized smartphones and tablets, not only among consumers but among enterprises, leading 86% of the Fortune 500 to use or pilot iPads for business applications.
Known for: iPhone, iPad
This Redwood City, Calif., company started out selling software for secure messaging and mobile access to enterprise networks. To those offerings it has added features to help companies and government agencies manage and secure a variety of mobile platforms and the security and data on mobile devices. Talk to a Fortune 500 company CIO about tablet security and Good's name will come up.
Known for: Mobile security platform Good for Enterprise
As of last year, Android devices surpassed the sales of Apple's iPhones, making the Google-managed operating system the No. 1 smartphone platform. Unsurprisingly, Android is also the top target of malicious mobile software, including DroidDream and Zitmo, a mobile version of the Zeus bot program. With its planned purchase of Motorola's mobile phone business, Mobility Holdings, Google will be in a better position to protect the security of the platform.
Known for: Lead developer of the Android operating system
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Started by three classmates from the University of Southern California in 2007, the San Francisco-based Lookout focuses on free and premium software for managing and securing consumer mobile devices. The startup has quickly grown from less than 100,000 users in 2009 to more than 10 million users today. Unlike conventional security firms, Lookout has been successful by offering a more comprehensive approach to device management for consumers.
Known for: Free Lookout Mobile Security
A major security vendor in the PC market, McAfee has expanded its product portfolio to handle the management of information assets, including mobile devices. The company, now a subsidiary of Intel, offers mobile device management software, Enterprise Mobility Manager, which came from its acquisition of Trust Digital in 2010. The company uses its wide experience in securing traditional computing infrastructure to offer enterprise-level security to the mobile market.
Known for: Enterprise Mobility Manager, McAfee WaveSecure products
MobileIron has grown quickly since it launched its first mobile-device management product in September, 2009. The company also has a platform for creating an enterprise app storefront and recently launched a mobile-management cloud service. It tries to help companies administer device security, data management, and the entire cost lifecycle.
Known for: Advanced Mobile Device Management, Connected Cloud device management service
With its enterprise focus, the maker of the BlackBerry, the first smartphone, has always aimed at a more secure mobile platform that can be managed by IT departments. The company continues to lead with Balance, a solution aimed at separating personal and business apps and data on a worker-owned phone.
Known for: BlackBerry smartphones, BlackBerry Enterprise Server, Balance
The leading provider of PC-based security, Symantec has a suite of enterprise products aimed at securing personally-owned devices in the enterprise. Symantec Mobile Management allows companies to easily deploy security to consumer-owned phones, specifying security policies and defining access controls.
Known for: Symantec Mobile Management, Norton Mobile Security
The virtualization giant announced in August a corporate solution for consumer-owned phones. The product, Horizon Mobile Manager, allows companies to manage a virtual space on an employee's phone that had been previously created by the company's Mobile Virtualization Platform.
Known for: Mobile Virtualization Platform, Horizon Mobile Manager
The virtualization giant announced in August a corporate solution for consumer-owned phones. The product, Horizon Mobile Manager, allows companies to manage a virtual space on an employee's phone that had been previously created by the company's Mobile Virtualization Platform.
Known for: Mobile Virtualization Platform, Horizon Mobile Manager
When the PC era started, security was an afterthought that became more and more important. Things were very different when the world went mobile--device makers and operating system developers, for the most part, gave security a high priority from the beginning.
Apple's iPhone had few security features at its inception, but added stronger security with each iteration of iOS. Google's Android operating system built in a lot of security from the beginning. And as mobile devices play a larger role in our work and personal lives, more companies are offering security features and applications to protect the devices we carry with us all day.
That's why our list of top mobile security vendors includes a variety of company types, not just companies that specialize in mobile security. While some might argue that Apple and Google, as developers of the most popular mobile operating systems, are the most important companies in this market, we've decided to present the list in alphabetical order.
"In the mobile security arena, security by itself is too narrow an aperture through which to look at the mobile problem," says Andrew Jaquith, a former analyst with Forrester Research and chief technology officer of security firm Perimeter E-Security. "It is really about the complete management of the devices."
Indeed, no list would be complete without RIM, because of its focus on enterprise mobility and security.
Large security companies like Symantec and McAfee are not the only ones driving innovation. Startups, such as Lookout and MobileIron, have tackled mobile-specific problems and brought more user-friendly security to both consumers and enterprises. Companies not originally focused on mobile devices, such as VMWare, are bringing their security technology to the mobile platform.
However, as Jaquith notes, it's not just about security. Almost every enterprise will have to avail itself of a mobile-device-management system, such as those from Good Technology, Lookout, McAfee, MobileIron, and Zenprise.
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