Symantec To Complete Mobile Security Acquisition

Symantec is set to acquire mobile application manager (MAM) provider Nukona to improve its mobile security offering.

The takeover is set to be completed by April subject to closing conditions, but financial terms have not been disclosed.

Mobile security platform

Nukona lets enterprises distribute, secure and control applications with protection that “wraps” around iOS, Android and HTML5 apps meaning that enterprises can apply security policies without making any changes to the applications or affecting the end user experience. A secure content library also allows documents to be synchronised and protected without the risk of data loss.

Symantec says that Nukona will complement its recent acquisition of Odyssey Software, a provider of mobile device management (MDM), and will be incorporated into a cross-platform mobile application protection suite that will help secure corporate data on both corporate and personal devices.

By offering both MDM and MAM across multiple platforms, Symantec promises that CIOs will be in a stronger position to allow employees who want to use their own devices and apps. Security measures include protection policies, user authentication, file encryption, the prevention of data leakage and the selective wiping of corporate data.

“As the adoption of mobile devices and apps continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, one of the biggest challenges for customers is to protect and manage the native apps, data and environments of these devices,” commented CJ Desai, senior vice president of Endpoint and Mobility Group at Symantec. “The acquisition of Nukona helps us further address the ‘Consumerisation of IT’ and ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) trends by helping organizations protect and isolate corporate data and applications across both corporate owned and personally owned devices.”

Symantec’s recently published 2012 State of Mobility Survey said that 71 percent of companies are discussing deploying their own mobile apps while a third have already done so. Over 70 percent of smartphone users say that they consider their devices to be safe from cyber crime, an attitude which could pose businesses problems as mobile devices increasingly enter the workplace.

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