Kaspersky sees big opportunity for mobile security in India
Kaspersky, developer of secure content management solutions, said that it sees a huge opportunity for mobile data security emerging in India.
"With the number of smart phones steadily increasing, we see a huge number of people opting for security solutions to protect their data," said Gun Suk Ling, managing director, South Asia, Kaspersky.
Currently, there are more than 10 million smart phone users in India and the number is growing very fast.
She further added, "Most of the enterprises are going mobile and providing their employees with smartphones as a work tool. These phones typically contain many business-critical data, which falling in the wrong hand could be disastrous for the company. Security solutions like our mobile security suite can help mitigate this risk."
Kaspersky started operations in India in 2007. The company started with an anti virus suite which didn't pick up well as there were very few viruses targeting mobile phones. It has since revised the product, which now includes remote lock, anti theft, parental control and SMS spam protection.
Highlighting the need for an anti theft, feature Gun Suk Ling said," Some 2.3 million handsets are lost at USA airports every month. Similar numbers are seen in the London tube (metro rail). This number does not include (the number of) thefts, which is even bigger."
Kaspersky will sell this suite through its website and through the retail network. It will also look at operators and handset vendors for tie-ups, but has not signed a deal so far. The mobile security suite is currently priced at Rs 600 per phone for one year. It is available only for Java and Symbian phones right now, and the will launch solutions for Android operating systems in the first quarter of 2011.
Kaspersky Mobile Security 8.0 suite is designed to ensure the protection of mobile devices against malware programs, unsolicited calls and messages. The anti-theft feature helps to locate the phone if it is lost or stolen, and remotely blocks or wipes the missing device. The data encryption feature secures most sensitive files and folders. The anti-spam feature blocks annoying ad calls and SMSs. Parental control allows parents to track their child’s whereabouts, and prevent unwanted calls and messages. The anti-virus and firewall ultimately protect the smartphone from malware. Kaspersky Mobile Security allows the user to customise its features, and view protection status as well as the event log in which the program's actions are recorded.
The suite is very light and is designed so that it does not slow down the phone. By default, the phone is scanned after midnight when it is usually not in use.
