Being one of the more popular platforms for smart phones today, the Android operating system is a great asset to casual and business users alike. But just like the Windows platform on your computer, this popularity and open-endedness for apps has exploded with many opportunities for some great and not-so-great apps to be downloaded to your mobile device.

 

According to a 2011 Mobile Threats Report by Juniper Networks' Security Intelligence Center, viruses and malicious software went from 0.5% market on Android compared to other platforms in 2010, to 46.7% in 2011, which is quite alarming. These infected devices create risks for companies and business. So, what is a REALTOR® or business professional to do?

 

The first thing that is important to realize is there is no perfect security - for your computer, for your life (even the safest cars can get into accidents), or for your mobile device. The best hope for protecting your information lies in antivirus software for your mobile device. In the last year a lot of software has come out with features for backing up, remotely wiping the device of all information, remotely locking the device, and GPS tracking, but all these bells and whistles are not where their greatest use lies in protecting you. This being the case, we at the Tech Helpline have researched some viable options for your mobile security.

 

AV-TEST.org ran tests to find the most effective security software for Android devices. Forty one virus scanners were run against 618 types of malware. 65% of those types of malware were not detected by two-thirds of the scanners. This makes them unreliable and unsuitable for your security, as the firm writes. The software that came out on top were: Avast, Dr. Web, F-Secure, Ikarus, Kaspersky, Lookout, and Zoner. The other software was not entirely useless, though, as they had features to protect you from theft such as remote wipe and remote lock, but did not do so well against malware.

 

At the Tech Helpline we have given many recommendations for Avast software for the PC, so it is very comforting to see a known name in that group that we have trusted in the past. The Avast software for Android is free, as well as many of the others mentioned.

 

This is a new age of technology. Apple has dubbed this the Post-PC Era, in which portable devices make use of a lot of the things we did - and still do - on PCs. It's important to take care of your information with proper protection and there is no time better than now.