Secure browsing, messaging skyrockets after high-profile hacks
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Secure browsing topped a list of the most activated mobile applications in the last year, according to a report by enterprise mobile management firm Good Technology.
Secure browsing topped a list of the most activated mobile applications in the last year, according to a report by enterprise mobile management firm Good Technology, which estimated that secure browsing rose 197 percent quarter over quarter and was the most activated app in 2014, increasing tenfold.
Citing the catastrophic damage from the hacking at the U.S. Central Command, the Sony Studio attacks and a recent breach in 30 banks in over 100 countries, Good said enterprise demand for secure mobile browsing was accelerating and with it an interest in overall app security.
“With the rapid ascent of these attacks, [organizations] of all sizes are investing in and activating mobile apps that have been designed for security from the inside out,” according to the company’s Mobile Index Report for Q4 of 2014.
“A secure browser reduces the risk on mobile devices, where traditional anti-malware and firewall solutions are typically not in place,” the report added.
In addition to secure browsing, secure instant messaging also rose, with a 131 percent jump last quarter and a nine-fold increase throughout the year, according to the report.
Good CEO and chairman Christy Wyatt acknowledged that the end user is “often the weakest link in any security model.” As a result, it’s critical that enterprise IT managers ensure that “employees, customers and partners are using secure-based apps across mobile workflows is [to build] cyber resiliency,” she said.
Good also announced new products, including support for user access to enterprise apps via the Apple Touch ID feature on iOS devices. With IT department enablement, users can access any Good-secured app using their fingerprints on Apple smartphones and tablets without affecting Good's container security. This feature might be especially useful in the public sector where adoption of iOS devices is greater. iOS makes up 82 percent of devices in the public sector, Good said, possibly because of the perception of security issues across the fragmented Android landscape.
The company also said it would provide secure data and content access on wearable devices through the Good Dynamics Platform. The platform secures business data stored on wearables and shared between other Good secured apps.
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