Mobile Service Providers to Offer Security Solutions?

Apart from fighting over the 4G bandwidth and luring marquis devices to their lineup, there is little competitive difference between the four major mobile service providers. This leveling will likely lead to expanded service offerings such as data security, identity theft protection alerts and data backup applications.

Research, by Juniper, found that 62 percent of mobile device users hold their service provider responsible for protecting their data, and 36 percent looked to their software security provider for that service. Since the war on mobile hardware and software is raging between Google, Apple and Microsoft on features and form, it seems likely that mobile service providers will move to corner the mobile security services market. While a handful of stand-alone applications offer services like lost device recovery, data backup and virus protection on mobile devices, the major mobile service providers wield enough resources and manpower to tackle mobile security in a more thorough way.

Paul Gainham, a senior director of solutions at Juniper, said, "There is a fantastic opportunity for most of the managed security market.  As this world gets ever more complex and for certain IT departments, they will reach a stage where it is beyond their control, so there is a fantastic opportunity for a security center, within the carriers, to bring to market the enhanced services."

In June of 2012, mobile device use will surpass desktop browsing in terms of internet hours. Those who create viruses, worms and trojans tend to target the largest, easiest targets available to them. That is quickly becoming mobile devices, which operate largely unprotected from the types of virus protection and data backup services that are standard equipment with most personal computers.

The mobile service war could soon be about enhanced security services rather than coverage maps.