Motorola Beefs Up Android Security to Challenges RIM, Apple

Motorola is selling security software to encourage businesses to use Android smartphones, challenging rivals Research in Motion and Apple by easing fears about mobile safety.

Motorola's enterprise device management, or EDM, software protects corporate Android handsets from viruses and malware, offering functions like encryption, remote wiping and phone tracking.

The technology was created by 3LM, which Motorola acquired earlier this year.

3LM's technology may find a wider audience now that Google effectively owns the company after purchasing Motorola for $12.5 billion. This arrangement likely heralds mass adoption of 3LM's EDM across the Android-using section of the corporate sphere.

Motorola's EDM pitch may capitalize on the growing trend of companies permitting employees to use app-centric, touchscreen Androids and iPhones at work.

Until recently, BlackBerry devices ruled this section of the mobile market because of their encrypted email and messaging service, which kept corporate secrets secure.

But companies like Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and even sections of the U.S. government now let workers use their own phones on the job, moving away from RIM's devices as security protections for iPhones and Android handsets improve.

GoodTechnology and 3LM's EDM protect Android phones, while MobileIron and NetHawk prevent iPhones from contracting viruses that may spread around the workplace.

Services like these may be imperative for companies advocating the "bring your phone to work" policy. Apple's iOS remains relatively secure, as the company scans each app entering the store, but some security holes like the one found in July continue to present threats.

Android, on the other hand, needs further security protections given the number of viruses and malware drifting on Google's mobile marketplace. The DroidDream, Zeus Trojan, HippoSMS and countless others have invaded hundreds of thousands of Android phones, worrying companies considering whether to rely on such handsets to store and relay corporate secrets.

In light of these concerns, Motorola's 3LM may prove popular and profitable not only because of its potential for widespread attention via its Google connection, but also because increasing demand for these secure services.