Dive Brief:

• The growing use of mobile phones to conduct business is prompting a spike in demand in the mobile threat defense market, according to Fortune.

• Mobile threat defense companies can provide employees a security app to install on their mobile phone, which, according to Gartner, can do things like scan for dangerous apps or risky WiFi networks while workers are on the go.

• FireEye, Lookout and Better Mobile are among the leaders in the mobile threat defense market to date, according to Fortune.

Dive Insight:

Because mobile phones operate outside of the range of a virtual corporate network and are fully controlled by employees, they are much more difficult to protect than computers used within a traditional office.

In the enterprise, the issue of how to pay for mobile defense solutions can be a sticking point. IT departments are generally not given extra resources for mobile device management, but that could soon change. As hackers become more adept at breaking into mobile devices, companies are looking for ways to better protect themselves, and it’s likely mobile device management funding will soon become more common.