CA seals global agreement with i-mate to protect handheld devices against virus attacks

Under the agreement, all next generation i-mate™ PDAs and Smartphones will come pre-installed with CA's eTrust Antivirus software. Existing i-mate™ device users will have a facility to download the software from i-mate™'s website at a subsidized price.

"CA's agreement with i-mate™ represents a significant step forward for the global mobile communications industry, bringing enterprise-class antivirus protection to the rapidly expanding converged mobile device market," said Gilbert Lacroix, vice president and general manager for CA in the Arab countries. "Just as CA has led the way in protecting IT infrastructure within corporate and small/medium-sized business environments, we anticipate a high uptake for this new initiative, especially with smart devices like i-mate™ phones and PDAs becoming more and more popular both for business as well as personal use."

Jim Morrison, founder and chief executive officer of i-mate™, commented on the agreement saying: "With mobile computing becoming increasingly prevalent, today's Smartphones and PDA's have large amounts of corporate and personal data residing in them. It becomes essential to protect our device owners from security threats including virus attacks that may render this data insecure. Partnering with CA to provide virus protection on our devices is the right approach for creating a safe operating environment for our customers."

The agreement with CA is an integral part of i-mate™'s strong push to increase its share of the enterprise market with an aggressive corporate sales offering. Customization of devices, onboard data security, two layer communication security, VoIP availability and Wi-Fi are just a few of the value-adds offered by i-mate™.
Additional enhancements are being continuously rolled out to optimize the customer experience through the owner dedicated privilege site: www.clubimate.com.

For CA, the announcement is another example of the company's concerted strategy to grow its $1 billion business in EMEA through partnerships with OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). Since unveiling its wider growth strategy in October last year, CA has announced regional OEM agreements with leading IT and telecommunications companies such as Microsoft, Iomega and PC2000.

Protecting the Mobile Infrastructure

Viruses have had a destructive effect on world wide computing resources and costs of downtime due to viruses run into billions of dollars each year. Supported by its worldwide Security Advisory Team that does round-the-clock security research to deliver timely threat updates and solutions, CA's eTrust Antivirus protects some of the world's largest networks as well as individual home users. Its coverage includes servers and PCs running Windows, Unix, Netware, Mac and Linux as well as Groupware, Gateway and handheld devices like PDAs and Smartphones.

"Usage of PDAs and Smartphones is increasing because of the business-related features they provide, and their compatibility and convenience in managing everyday tasks. As a result, handheld devices, and in particular PDAs, have increasingly become targets to data-compromising attacks from viruses. By integrating CA's eTrust Antivirus software, i-mate™ has significantly reduced the threat posed by any possible virus attacks on our hand held devices," Morrison said.

CA's eTrust Antivirus software installs itself on the handheld devices and can automatically update signature files via GPRS or wireless connections. It also offers corporate users the option of being centrally managed from the corporate Antivirus server, in compliance with a company's central security policies. Signatures updates will be made available by CA on a daily basis, backed by the 24X7 threat research team, protecting the devices from current and future virus attacks.

The software will also be available for purchase from i-mate™ website www.clubimate.com, as a download for any handheld device user running Microsoft Windows operating systems. Existing owners of i-mate™ devices will be entitled to a special discounted rate.