Device Security: RIM’s BlackBerry is King of the Hill

Corporations looking to increase productivity among their mobile workforce have long been questioning what platform is the most secure.  Recently Maribel Lopez (a formally of Forrester Research) did some detailed research and posted the results for the world to see.  The comparison was done between the top three mobile platforms in the field today: Apple’s iPhone, Windows Mobile devices, and RIM’s BlackBerry.  Lopez looked at three major areas:  Device Security, Transmission Security, and Network Security.  Each area was rated on a scale of 0-4.

So how did they fare? The iPhone comes in at bottom of the pile with a 1 out of 4 overall score.  The main reason for the low score is a 0 on the Device Security category.  Lopez cites the lack of device encryption, the OS can be compromised (i.e. jailbreaking), and the lack of OTA updates, as the reason.

Windows Mobile devices did better with a 3 out of 4 rating.  Again, as with the iPhone, the Device category was the weak spot. A 2 out of 4 for the WinMo, but still no device encryption.

Taking the top spot is the BlackBerry with an impressive 4 out of 4.  According to the report, "Security was designed into the platform from its inception".  This should not come as much of a suprise since RIM has primarily targeted the corporate world first, then worked it’s way out to the everyday consumer.  The iPhone and WinMo devices were just the opposite.

Hopefully the outcome of this report will be that Apple and Microsoft work to improve security from the device standpoint.  Each device has its pros and cons, but for me security is a big factor.

Read the full report here.