—Mojave Networks, which provides enterprises with cloud-based mobile security, has introduced a new “application reputation” feature to allow employers to track and analyze the data that mobile applications collect, store and transmit in order to assess risks in BYOD settings.
The average mobile device has about 200 applications, including both apps that are pre-installed and downloaded by the user, according to Mojave Threat Labs. Each of those apps averages nine permissions that users must agree to before the app can be used, and MOjave said that “five of those permissions are typically considered moderate to high risk as they allow the applications to gain access to documents, logins, passwords and other sensitive data, which could cause a major security risk to an organization’s private data.”
The app reputation feature allows organizations to track the apps being used by platform, user and device, and categorize the risk, as well as additional custom analytics.
“The ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) trend is transitioning to ‘bring your own applications’ (BYOA) as users download more and more apps to share data, increase productivity and stay connected,” said Garrett Larsson, CEO and co-founder of Mojave Networks. “If any application running on a mobile device connected to the network is insecure, it can put highly sensitive corporate data at risk.”
–A new forecast report from BIA/Kelsey predicts that mobile searches will generate 73 billion calls to businesses in 2018, compared to 30 billion last year. The report concluded that one of the driving forces behind this trend of “calls as currency” is more sophisticated call analytics to measure call quality and “gain strategic insights from call data.”
Michael Boland, who authored the report and is a senior analyst and VP of content at BIA/Kelsey, said that phone calls are being increasingly embraced as a lead form for paying advertisers.
“Calls have always been highly valued by small businesses, and now the notion of calls as currency has accelerated in the smartphone era, where search has fused with the phone,” said Boland. “Businesses that get in front of consumers with the right messaging and calls to action, like mobile click-to-call, can drive high-quality leads and achieve high return on ad spend. Tech and media companies that can help them get there are likewise well positioned.”
—comScore’s Subscriber Analytics solution for mobile operators received a COMET Innovation award in big data and analytics this week at TM Forum.
–Will mobile and location-based services, including geofencing and iBeacons, mean a blow for the traditional billboard industry? Jim Snow, US President of franchise partnerships for mobile marketing platform company Moball, thinks so.
Instead of going by road signage for decisions on accommodations or meals, “there will come a time where the kids in the back or the passenger make the decision based on a rich push message direct to their palm either to a smartphone or tablet,” Snow said.
—App Annie, a European company which provides app analytics and market data, has acquired mobile analytics company Netherlands-based Distimo. This is the company’s first acquisition; terms were not disclosed. App Annie said it has been growing rapidly, tripling its number of employees in the past year. Now that it has purchased Distimo, App Annie said it has 240 employees, almost 600,000 apps and almost 270,000 registered business users for its analytics platform.
In addition to the Distimo acquisition, App Annie also announced that a $17 million funding round from existing investors, which include IDG Capital Partners, Greycroft Partners and Sequoia Capital. App Annie said it has so far raised $39 million in capital, which is being used in part to fund the purchase of Distimo as well as product and market development.
