Tech Tuesday: How to keep mobile devices safe and secure
Tech Tuesday is an on-going series profiling the Forum’s Technology Pioneers. The Tech Pioneers are companies that have been recognized by the Forum for ground-breaking and innovative approaches in tackling some of the world’s most wicked problems. Each week we will be showcasing one of the 2013 Tech Pioneers. You can learn more about the Technology Pioneer Programme on the Forum’s website.
Lookout Mobile Security: How to keep mobile devices safe and secure
The estimated 200 million smartphones currently in circulation are gradually taking over many of the traditional functions of a laptop computer. But because smartphones rely on simplified circuitry to save battery power, they can also be the weak link in any organization’s security system. A lost phone that contains sensitive information can be catastrophic not only for the phone’s owner, but also for the corporation. Currently more than 60 apps on the market offer some degree of protection for lost phones, but Lookout Mobile has emerged as not only one of the most comprehensive approaches, but also the one that is the most intuitive to use. Its geotracking system recovered an astonishing 9 million lost phones last year. The company offers an advertising-supported free app for basic protection, but its premium service offers the best chance at retrieving lost data.
As well as backing contacts and addresses to the cloud, the standard geotracking for a lost phone and the ability to remotely wipe and lock a stolen phone’s memory, the company offers its Mobile Threat Tracker. The tracker blocks “phishing” and malware attempts, and alerts subscribers to the latest threats on the network, including the three most dangerous pieces of malware encountered by Lookout in the previous week. By checking into an admin portal on the Web, phone owners can also have their phones scanned for hostile attempts at intrusion. Lookout’s intense focus on mobile phone security may be the best protection yet against what The New York Times calls “nomophobia”, the widespread fear of suddenly finding that your smartphone has gone missing.
John Hering, Chief Executive Officer
Location: CA, USA
Number of Employees: 100
Year Founded: 2007
Lookout Mobile Security Inc.
1 Front Street, Suite 2700
San Fransisco, CA 94111
USA
+ 1 415 281 2820
contact@mylookout.com
www.mylookout.com
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