The latest survey on mobility threat management (MTM) carried out by IDC MarketScape vendor analysis shows that Mobile security/compliance is the biggest challenge of mobility deployment for businesses.
The new report, “IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Mobile Threat Management Security Software 2017 Vendor Assessment (Doc # US42373417),” analyzes quantitative and qualitative characteristics that define current market demands and expected buyer needs for mobile threat management (MTM) software.
The IDC MarketScape methodology assesses the strategies and capabilities of worldwide mobile threat management security software providers that contribute to their success in the marketplace and help anticipate their ascendancy.
The report evaluated nine vendors that serve the enterprise mobility space: Appthority, Better Mobile Security, Check Point, Kaspersky, Lookout, Symantec, Wandera, Zimperium, and Zscaler.
IDC MarketScape criteria selection, weightings and vendor scores represent well-researched IDC judgment about the market and vendors through structured discussions, surveys and interviews with market leaders, participant buyers and end users.
Mike Jennett, research vice president, Enterprise Mobility Strategies , said “Mobile threat management is emerging as a must-have puzzle piece for successful enterprise mobility deployment and management”.
“With the expansion of mobile usage for corporate work, the need for secure communications and the shoring up of device vulnerabilities is becoming essential.
“The marketplace is responding with a robust offering of tools now available to the enterprise from MTM vendors that integrate with existing security and enterprise mobility management (EMM) tools.
“Integrating these tools into existing enterprise mobility deployments will expand enterprise security capabilities to handle both device and network risks associated with mobile deployments.”
Key findings from the study that enterprises must consider as they look to deploy their MTM solutions includes:
Vendors’ MTM products are primarily focused on iOS and Android platforms with limited availability on the Windows 10 platform, with many believing the traditional Windows security products cover that area. This leaves a gap between pure-play mobile devices and enterprise tablet devices utilizing the Windows 10 operating system.
Capabilities found in most MTM products focus on protecting the device from phishing attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, and device-specific security issues such as jailbreaking. Advanced MTM providers cover every aspect of interactions with the mobile device — from user downloaded apps through to network connections. Thwarting SMS-based attacks is also a focus for MTM providers, as texting is a frequently used business communications tool that falls outside the area of most traditional security solutions.
Carrier partnerships are key go-to-market strategies for MTM providers as a way to get their software deployed on enterprise mobile devices provisioned through mobile operators and managed via mobile life-cycle management or managed EMM solutions.
Similar to carrier partnerships, EMM partnerships are critical for MTM providers in business deployments, as most MTM solutions rely on these platforms for a range of remediation and device-level enforcement capabilities, as well as distribution of MTM agents to corporate-liable and BYO devices.
Customers of MTM software are focused on device management beyond standard EMM and looking for the next level of security for their enterprise devices.