The Android platform for mobile may be suffering from various and sometimes worst security issues in the past months but it has now achieved the number one position for mobile devices in the enterprise all over the world way ahead than Apple’s iOS. The cloud traffic obtained from Zscaler ThreatLabZ proved that Android makes up for at least 40% of mobile usage especially among enterprise users. Devices running on Apple’s iOS dropped to 22% from 42% of enterprise usage while BlackBerry is down to 37% from 40% enterprise usage.
The security implications of the growing popularity of Android in the enterprise are noticeable with the comparatively open app development platform. For the most part, enterprises have resigned from trying to bar these devices which have become highly popular due to the extensive availability and relatively lower price points compared to other competitors like BlackBerry from RIM and iPad and iPhone from Apple. Zscaler ThreatlabZ’s senior security researcher Mike Geide said that his firm obtained data from the company’s network of proxies which is being utilized by enterprises so that their devices can be connected with the enterprise. “Geographically, the Android has more penetration in other countries than Apple. That’s all leading to Android becoming the mobile platform of choice,” Geide said. All the same, the U.S. makes up for 80% of all transactions for mobile clients in Zscaler’s customers.
Geide added that “You can like or criticize Apple’s way of doing it with its AppStore and jailed iPhone approach, which is very locked-down. The Android is a more developer-friendly environment … and having apps be able to utilize lower-level function calls in the OS than Apple. All that makes the Android a better platform for doing evil stuff, as well.” Among the most popular app for the Android platform is social networking as well as other enterprise mobile platforms. That is in difference to the total enterprise web browsing where professional services, news sites, corporate marketing and web search are visited way more than social networks do.
As power and supremacy is achieved in any market niche, operating system, app development platforms, applications, and others will experience more threats mainly on security. Considering the significant market share of Android along with its application installation process and open source platform, it is not a surprise for Android to be the mobile platform that is exposed to many security threats. The continued increase in mobile device usage as well as the popular comprise among the use of platform will promote growth in security threats directed towards tablets, smart phones, and other related mobile devices. However, the enterprise presence of Android will be growing and it will continue to edge out RIM’s BlackBerry and the Windows Mobile by Microsoft.
