Sophos has announced the immediate availability of additional security and device management capabilities for the Android mobile platform. These simple-to-deploy, yet powerful, solutions deliver mobile security for businesses of any size. IT professionals can now allow employees to take advantage of all the Android platform has to offer without putting sensitive data at risk.

According to Nielsen, mobile users are now spending 30 more hours per month on mobile devices than on their laptops, and cyber criminals are taking notice. SophosLabs has identified over one million new and unique pieces of Android malware and potentially unwanted applications (PUAs) since the beginning of 2014. Android malware has grown 1 800% over the last two years, by far the fastest-growing of any attack surface. Approximately two billion mobile phones and tablets will be shipped this year, 85% of those will be Android devices, and 75% of apps on those devices will fail basic security tests.

"With a mix of corporate-owned and employee-owned devices being used for business anywhere and anytime, organisations clearly require a more comprehensive approach to mobile security. And that's where Sophos comes in," says Brett Myroff, MD of Sophos distributor, NetXactics.

Sophos Cloud now features Android support, delivering one central and hosted console for managing both desktops and mobile devices. With a simpler user-centric approach, it helps keep corporate information safe with mobility management features like remote lock, remote wipe, password reset, theft protection, WiFi configuration and Microsoft Exchange setup help.

Sophos Mobile Security brings a powerful new antivirus engine and Web protection technology to the Android platform. Without reducing device performance or diminishing battery life, this powerful engine provides comprehensive malware protection. In fact, Sophos received a perfect 100% Android malware detection rate in the latest AV-Test.

Sophos further offers built-in antivirus capabilities and Web filtering without relying on third-party software. Additionally, Sophos is a centrally managed, cloud-based mobile security solution that is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS and now Android platforms – providing simple and complete security for businesses of all sizes.

In addition, Sophos has announced the new Sophos Anti-Malware SDK for Android, which features the core Sophos antivirus engine. Now telco providers, mobile carriers and other IT vendors can integrate Android anti-malware technology into their own mobile offerings.

"With an increasing number of viruses and other malware samples entering the corporate network via mobile devices, it's more important than ever to deploy Android management and security technology to ensure that sensitive corporate data stays out of the wrong hands," Myroff says.

"Well over half of all mobile apps fail basic security measures, and these figures are on the rise. Every day the risk is growing. Companies should look to comprehensive mobile protection to keep confidential information out of the wrong hands."