Symantec Announces New Android Security Apps

Symantec has released a new series of applications to attempt to increase the security of Android users, as smartphones become a part of mainstream business IT infrastructure.

With users increasingly providing their own devices, known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and connecting them to their employers' networks, the need for mobile security is obvious.

“When leveraged correctly, mobile technologies in the form of applications, smartphones, and tablets can give [a] business a competitive edge over less-connected peers. IT professionals are under enormous pressure to develop a comprehensive approach to mobility that realizes its business, financial, and operational benefits while still protecting the organization from security, legal, and compliance risks," Christian Kane wrote in a report for Forrester Research.

“As part of the next stage of their BYOD initiatives, companies worldwide are telling us that they're looking to increase their adoption of Android devices. We are bringing together a comprehensive set of security and management solutions for this leading platform,” Anil Chakravarthy, senior vice president of the Enterprise Security Group at Symantec, said. “With the recent additions to our portfolio of mobile device management and application/data management products, Symantec is providing a complete platform to enable CIOs to achieve their mobile vision.”

Symantec has announced a number of new mobile applications to increase security on mobile devices.

The first is Symantec Mobile Security for Android. It analyzes mobile applications for Android from a variety of app stores around the world, monitoring malicious apps.

Symantec has also rolled out a new mobile management products as well; Mobile Management for Configuration Manager Mobile Management for Configuration Manager is a new version of Odyssey Athena, following Symantec's acquisition of the company. The product integrates with Microsoft Configuration Manager. It joins Symantec's mobile management application integrated with the Alitris IT management suite and its standalone mobile management application. In addition, its Mobile Management products integrate with the NitroDesk TouchDown e-mail client, allowing for greater security and separation of personal and mobile mail.

The Nukona App Center will help users secure their downloaded apps, protecting them from malware using IPS 140-2 certified encryption. Symantec is one of the few companies using this encryption. The product helps enterprise networks secure their data in the face of growing acceptance of BYOD in IT networks.

Users can also keep their e-mails private on the Android devices using PGP Viewer. Already available for iOS, the app lets users decrypt e-mails on their Android phones, helping keep sensitive data from prying eyes.

Symantec's customers seem to be impressed.

“Giving our employees access to business critical information anytime, anywhere is a top priority for us - one that gives us a huge competitive advantage,” Craig Weatherhead, IT director for Fastenal Company, said. “To be successful in this initiative, we need a reliable solution that helps us realize the different mobile use cases and provides a holistic view of all of our mobile devices. Symantec's mobile solutions allow us to focus on our business by addressing our security and management needs.”

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