The number of smartphones protected by advanced security software will increase fivefold over the next five years, according to a new study by ABI Research.
The study showed that the enterprises with mobile workforces have growing concerns about lost and stolen handsets, due to the increasing amount of data stored on a typical smartphone.
The firm said that the future handsets will come with pre-loaded anti-virus software clients to prevent the loss of data and services to malware. Mobile banking and person-to-person payments will be authenticated by fingerprint sensors on the handset.
The study showed that the offerings will include security client software loaded on a mobile terminal and a service to remotely lock a handset, erase its data, or locate it. Large enterprises will buy mobile device management platforms to use within their IT departments and smaller enterprises or even consumers will use managed security services, as wireless carriers increasingly offer security services to their customers, the firm said.
Stan Schatt, vice president of ABI Research, said: “Although malware has been seen in mobile handsets, in the past it has not done much damage. But smartphones have access to more sensitive data every year, and security must be tightened to prevent the theft or loss of important business information.”
