Guy Salomon, director of Netanya-based Discretix, said computer viruses and hackers will plague cell phones in the next two years as much as they plague computers now.
He noted that the volume of new cell phones sold last year is seven times the number of personal computers. "The potential damage is enormous and could run into billions and billions of dollars," he told the Israel 21c web site.
Cell phone companies stand to suffer more than customers because they will have to repair virus-damaged phones as well as losing income while the phones are out of service. Salomon added that the phone companies do not have the processing power to put anti-virus programs in their devices.
He said Discretix has developed "CryptoCell" which protects sensitive information in the cell phones from theft or damage.
The company has been on a roller coaster business ride, starting out with three employees in 2000 and quickly reaching $8 million sales until the high technology market crashed.
After floundering for a year, Discretix sold its technology to Ericsson's mobile phones and later moved into other high tech markets. Discretix now has contracts with several large companies, including Samsung and Philips.
The company has completed a turnaround and now employs 52 people in Israel and another 13 in foreign countries. "I was the only one that believed the market was there for us," says Salomon. "We were very stubborn and persisted when many other companies in the same field gave up or went under."
See Complete article on Israel21c.org
He noted that the volume of new cell phones sold last year is seven times the number of personal computers. "The potential damage is enormous and could run into billions and billions of dollars," he told the Israel 21c web site.
Cell phone companies stand to suffer more than customers because they will have to repair virus-damaged phones as well as losing income while the phones are out of service. Salomon added that the phone companies do not have the processing power to put anti-virus programs in their devices.
He said Discretix has developed "CryptoCell" which protects sensitive information in the cell phones from theft or damage.
The company has been on a roller coaster business ride, starting out with three employees in 2000 and quickly reaching $8 million sales until the high technology market crashed.
After floundering for a year, Discretix sold its technology to Ericsson's mobile phones and later moved into other high tech markets. Discretix now has contracts with several large companies, including Samsung and Philips.
The company has completed a turnaround and now employs 52 people in Israel and another 13 in foreign countries. "I was the only one that believed the market was there for us," says Salomon. "We were very stubborn and persisted when many other companies in the same field gave up or went under."
See Complete article on Israel21c.org