Mobile Security Services Market to Hit $1.88B this Year, Says ABI Research

ABI Research's Cyber Security Research Service recently released new findings regarding the mobile security services market in 2013, which it says will see major growth this year thanks to an increase in malware threats and widespread adoption of BYOD (bring your own device) policies.

Indeed, the market research firm stated that the number of unique mobile threats grew by 261 percent over the last two quarters alone, while malware has increased in complexity to take advantage of widespread mobility.

For the many organizations allowing BYOD policies, this means greater threat from within as this new malware often aims to exploit vulnerabilities found on mobile devices to penetrate corporate networks. As such, companies without proper mobile device management are at risk of covert interception and corruption.

Beyond simple security applications, though, demand for specialized services are apparently driving the mobile security market, with network security, managed and professional services set to become the biggest category for business-to-business mobile security. Meanwhile, bundled network security — made up of unified threat management, deep packet inspections, virtual private networks, and remote device management — will also become more important going forward.

These driving mobile security markets are now concentrating on services for mobile device, identity and authentication management in addition to audits, certification and consulting.

Overall, ABI Research forecasts that the mobile security services market will hit $1.88 billion by the end of the year, making up the majority of both the mobile device and mobile application security markets.

This makes sense as more industries are beginning to adopt BYOD, spurring growth further.

“Isolated and standalone security solutions will work for the individual consumer, but for organizational applications and carriers, mobile security services will take the lead,” said Michela Menting, ABI Research’s senior analyst in cyber security, in a statement.

As such, the market will be most favorable for vendors that target mobile network operators and businesses, with Adaptive Mobile and F-Secure singled out by ABI as well placed to take advantage of this.