Sprint announces McAfee security apps, as market is forecast to grow six-fold

Currently fewer than 1 in 20 smartphones or tablets have third-party security software installed, despite a "steady increase" in security threats, Juniper Research reported this week, forecasting the mobile device security market to reach nearly $3.7 billion by 2016.

An opportunity? Sprint seems to think so.

The carrier, which says it's been working with developers and manufacturers on security solutions, has announced the availability of two applications, each of which subscribers can try out on a trial basis and download from its Sprint Zone app store.

Partnering with the Intel-owned McAfee, Sprint is offering McAfee Mobile Security for a seven-day trial or $30 for a one-year subscription. A smartphone and tablet solution, it lets users:

- track a lost or stolen device, even if its SIM card has been replaced;

- remotely wipe data from a device and restore data to a new device;

- access a device's data online;

- run 24/7 anti-malware protection against viruses, as well as phishing and identity theft.

For subscribers wanting to keep an eye on young Web surfers, Sprint's new McAfee Family Protection Android Edition software, available for $20 for a one-year subscription, features:

- the ability to filter the Internet, blocking specific sites or chosen categories, such as drugs or guns;

- a default browser that protect a device from having another browser bypass its technology;

- an uninstall feature, so the application can't be deleted by young users.

According to Juniper, recent high-profile security events, such as the "News of the World" hacking scandal, have raised the public's awareness of their devices' security vulnerabilities. Still, it's the enterprise sector that the firm expects will account for nearly 70% of the market and drive six-fold growth.

By late 2013, the firm expects mobile security product spending to exceed $1 billion, with 277 million mobile devices to be running some kind of protection by 2016.

“Enterprise users are in the front line against potential security breaches through insufficient mobile security and companies need to incorporate mobile network connected devices into the corporate network since this is the easiest way to enforce policies and to audit such devices," wrote report author Nitin Bhas.

With tablets being increasingly incorporated into enterprise tasks, Juniper expects the number of security-equipped tablets to exceed the number of similarly protected smartphones.