Mobile security market explodes

Increasingly hostile threat environment prompts wave of investment from end users in 2010

The mobile security client market mushroomed by over 50 per cent last year as end users rushed to defend themselves against a barrage of new mobile threats.

That is according to Infonetics Research, whose 2011 Security Client Software report predicts that total global desktop and mobile security client revenues are on course to top $7bn by 2015.

Although the desktop security client sector enjoyed a strong 2010, Infonetics said mobile security client sales are "starting to explode" with revenues jumping 58 per cent in 2010.

It attributed this partly to the maturation of newly acquired products at vendors such as Juniper, Symantec and McAfee, but also end-user demand driven by the rise in hostile threats in this market.

Jeff Wilson, principal analyst for security at Infonetics Research, said: "2010 saw a massive increase in mobile OS vulnerabilities, malicious apps on major app stores, Zeus for BlackBerry, and a handful of other noteworthy threat events that have businesses and consumers on edge."

However, Infonetics warned that client-based security sales are beginning to come under pressure from SaaS altneratives.

"SaaS is likely to eat into enterprise-class security client revenue starting this year if vendors are able to offer SaaS solutions that are centrally manageable and provide security and performance comparable to client-based solutions," the market watcher said.