Mobile Security To Surface in Sybase iAnywhere Suite

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 06/25/08

Sybase announced that by the end of June its mobile device management suite will be enhanced with antivirus and firewall technology. These new security components will appear in the company's iAnywhere Afaria management and security software. Combined with Afaria's mobile device authentication and encryption technology, the enhanced software is intended to provide protection for Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Blackberry mobile devices from viruses, data compromise, hackers and the effects of mobile device loss or theft.

"The tremendous growth in adoption of converged mobile devices (a.k.a. smart phones) occurring among business professionals will inevitably bring with it a rise in the number of attacks and in the sophistication of viruses and other malware specifically targeting these devices. IT organizations need to be proactive in protecting their information and systems from attack," said Sean Ryan, research analyst, Mobile Enterprise, IDC. "Enterprises should consider mobile antivirus and firewall protection, for all enterprise supported mobile operating systems, as part of a holistic mobility security offering that puts IT in central control of all mobile devices and information."

Key features of the Afaria Antivirus Manager include antivirus protection with automatic signature file updates and real-time virus detection on any file received.

The Afaria Firewall Manager provides IT administrators with black list and white list filtering of inbound and outbound communications, which enables an organization to "lock down" use of the device for authorized communications only. An SMS and call filtering function lets administrators minimize mobile spam by establishing a customized blacklist to block incoming SMS, MMS or calls from selected contacts and unknown users. A user can also manage unwanted spam or phone calls.

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About the author: Dian Schaffhauser is a writer who covers technology and business for a number of publications. Contact her at [email protected].

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