Symantec rolls out a bevy of platforms and applications to provide greater mobile security for Android and iOS devices.
Security specialist Symantec is building up
its mobile security portfolio in a major way to address the growing trend of
bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives, including secure mobile email
deployments and device management, application management and threat-protection
capabilities, as businesses seek to protect themselves from a growing number of
threats stemming from mobile devices.
Among the releases is Mobile Security for
Android, which monitors and analyzes millions of Android apps, and uses
Symantecs anti-malware-detection technology from Norton Mobile Security and is
supported by Symantecs Global Intelligence Network. In addition, Pretty Good
Privacy (PGP) Viewer, already available for Apple iOS, is now out for Android,
available for download from the Google Play Marketplace, to provide users with
the ability to read encrypted emails on Android devices.
Symantec now offers three deployment options
for mobile-device management (MDM), a stand-alone MDM solution, an integrated
MDM with Altiris IT Management Suite from Symantec and an integrated MDM for
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager, which follows the completed
integration of Odyssey Software, the former Odyssey Athena product, which is
now Symantec Mobile Management for Configuration Manager.
When leveraged correctly, mobile
technologies in the form of applications, smartphones and tablets can give [a]
business a competitive edge over less-connected peers. IT professionals are
under enormous pressure to develop a comprehensive approach to mobility that realizes
its business, financial and operational benefits while still protecting the organization
from security, legal and compliance risks," Christian Kane, Forrester
research analyst, noted in a May 2012 report on mobile security.
The Nukona App Center from Symantec, which
provides secure application and content management for iOS and Android devices,
now supports apps created with third-party app frameworks, such as Appcelerator
and PhoneGap. The center also offers the ability to secure apps and data on iOS
devices with FIPS 140-2 certified encryption, designed for iOS device usage in
government and other regulated industries, such as the financial and health care
sectors where BYOD adoption is growing.
As part of the next stage of their BYOD
initiatives, companies worldwide are telling us that theyre looking to
increase their adoption of Android devices. We are bringing together a
comprehensive set of security and management solutions for this leading
platform, Anil Chakravarthy, senior vice president of Symantecs enterprise
security group said in a press statement. With the recent additions to our
portfolio of mobile-device management and application/data management products,
Symantec is providing a complete platform to enable CIOs to achieve their
mobile vision.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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