Comodo Takes User-Centric Approach to Enterprise MDM

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Like many computer and Internet security software specialists before it, Comodo has jumped into the mobile device management (MDM) fray.

This week, the firm launched Comodo Mobile Device Management (CMDM) for Android and iOS. As expected, the product provides organizations with tools that enable them to safeguard data and implement security policies on mobile devices like Apple’s popular iPad tablet or Samsung’s line of Galaxy smartphones. The difference, according to the company, is a licensing strategy that shifts the product’s focus from the device to the user.

In a blog post, Comodo said that CMDM “introduces an unconventional model based on licensing device users.” Pointing to an “extremely fluid and ever changing environment,” tethering a software license to a device is an antiquated notion, argues the firm.

“The quantity and composition of these devices can vary on a daily basis with most users bringing at least one device and an increasing number bringing two or three,” added the post’s authors, Comodo’s Kevin Judge and Kimberly Reynolds.

Building on the company’s Comodo Mobile Security product for Android, CMDM extends into the broader mobile device market with an integrated anti-malware protection, certificate management and the ability to detect or block rooted or jailbroken devices. Other features include password enforcement, remote lock and complete or selective wiping.

CMDM also offers device enrollment, authentication, user profile management, inventory controls and reporting features. Mobile application management tools include app blacklists, app push functionality and per-user app blocking.

The product is a natural extension of the company’s security software portfolio, according to Comodo’s Melih Abdulhayoglu, CEO and Chief Security Architect. “IT security is in our DNA,” he said in a statement. “Security is a top concern for BYOD because employees are using their business devices for non-work purposes and they often use a personal device for business uses.”

Comodo joins several other vendors that are leveraging their security know-how to grab a slice of the booming MDM market.

Last year, Kaspersky and Sophos both launched MDM platforms. In 2012, Veracode, a provider of cloud-based application security testing services, snapped up Marvin Mobile Security, a mobile anti-malware specialist. Veracode’s tech is now used by MobileIron and AirWatch — the latter was recently acquired by VMware for $1.5 billion — to sniff out dangerous mobile apps.

Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Datamation. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.

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