Pradeo Security Systems, a France-based mobile security software company, is making inroads into Thailand to capitalise on growing security threats for mobile devices.
The company picked Thailand for its expansion into Asia because of its high mobile penetration rate, said Vincent Roux-Trescases, executive vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
"We are moving to expand our business globally to stay at the forefront of mobile security technology," he said.
After four years of research and investment, Pradeo developed what it calls trust-revealing technology, a static and dynamic behavioural analysis engine dedicated to detecting suspicious or risky mobile apps before downloading on mobile devices.
Mr Roux-Trescases said with the popularity of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies, employees now had the freedom to use personal smartphones and tablets of their choice to get work done any time, anywhere. But companies' IT systems now have to support all these new devices and keep data secure.
Malicious mobile apps can expose enterprises to the loss of sensitive data and violate user privacy.
In 2013 a report found 100% of the top 100 paid Android apps and 56% of the top 100 paid iOS apps have been hacked, while 73% of free Android apps and 53% of free iOS apps have been hacked. The average smartphone user will download 70 apps to a device per year.
"Traditional malware or anti-virus software cannot be deployed to fix new vulnerabilities," said Mr Roux-Trescases.
Pradeo might open an office in Thailand next year if the business is successful.