While malware targeting mobile devices is a relatively recent problem, significant increases in shipments of smartphones, as well as increasing market penetration by Microsoft, have made mobile devices much more attractive targets for hackers. According to ABI Research, the newest and most intriguing market opportunity for mobile security is the growth of mobile device security managed services.

Vice president and networking research director Stan Schatt says, "There have been close to thirty different types of attack on mobile devices within the past two years."

Schatt forecasts that 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."

In addition to increased revenue, mobile operators see the ability to reduce churn, improve their relationships with their best commercial customers and generate even more data traffic as positive drivers for adding managed mobile device security services.

According to a recent ABI Research study, these services will initially grow fastest in Europe and in Southeast Asia, and mainly among commercial subscribers. "Consumers are much more price-sensitive than commercial customers, 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," notes Schatt.

Managed mobile device security services are in their infancy. Companies such as F-Secure, Adaptive Mobile, and Bluefire were early to this market, now joined by heavyweight software package players Trend Micro, McAfee, Symantec, and authentication heavyweight VeriSign.

About the market research study

The ABI Research report, "Mobile Device Security Managed Services", describes the upcoming opportunities for creation and implementation of such services, as well as the key components they will require to be successful. It also profiles some of the early leaders in this market. This study forms part of the Mobile Devices Research Service.

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