Juniper Networks announced an end-to-end suite of security products and services for smartphones designed to span enterprise and consumer needs. The Junos Pulse Mobile Security Suite offers antivirus, personal firewall, anti-spam, loss and theft prevention, monitoring and control services, and parental controls for Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile platforms.

The Junos Pulse Mobile Security Suite is designed to protect connected mobile devices whether they are used at work or at home, says networking equipment and software firm Juniper Networks.

The Mobile Security Suite is the newest product in Juniper's larger Junos Pulse platform, which the company originated in 2004 as an enterprise-only security software suite after it acquired NetScreen, according to a story on the product by Chris Preimesberger in our more enterprise-focused sister publication, eWEEK. Preimesberger attended the Oct. 26 launch at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco.

The new suite (pictured above right in its Android configuration) includes antivirus, personal firewall, anti-spam, loss and theft prevention, and monitoring and control services, says Juniper. The software is said to enable enterprises to provide employees secure access to corporate applications and email on mobile devices.

The new suite includes remote wipe, remote lock and remote data backup in case of a lost device, says Juniper. In addition, web-based controls are displayed on a central administration screen on the network.

In addition to its long list of enterprise security features, the software reaches out to the consumer side of the equation with features including parental control functions. These are said to include a GPS-based locator, as well as alerts about keywords and photos sent from the child's phone on the network.

Many of the consumer-facing aspects of the Junos Pulse Mobile Security Suite come from SMobile Systems, a smartphone security software vendor that Juniper acquired in July 2010, writes Preimesberger in eWEEK.

British Telecom is the first telecom company to adopt the security suite. Others, such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, are expected to follow in the coming months, says eWEEK.

Juniper Vice President Sanjay Beri told eWEEK that his company believes the software is the only integrated security package on the market that provides both security and secure connectivity for virtually all mobile devices, and that also provides such a deep feature set.

"With all the smartphones and tablets coming into the enterprise, and service providers wanting to offer management mobility services, we knew that extending Pulse to the smartphone arena was critical," Beri told eWEEK.

Juniper Global Threat Center launches

Juniper also used the San Francisco launch event to announce the opening of the Juniper Global Threat Center to provide around-the-clock, global monitoring of mobile security threats to consumers and enterprises. The facility is based in Columbus, Ohio, the site of SMobile's offices.

The Juniper Global Threat Center is the first such center dedicated to tracking, researching, and responding to threats to mobile devices, Juniper executive and former SMobile CEO Neal Book told eWEEK.

The center is said to track threats including viruses, spyware, and other security vulnerabilities that can expose a user's personal, professional, and sensitive information.

Availability

The Junos Pulse Mobile Security Suite is available to enterprises and Juniper' Networks' reseller partners immediately, and will be available to consumers through service providers this quarter, says the company.

Available platforms include Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.

More information may be found here.

The eWEEK story on Junos Pulse may be found here.

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