Ultimately, Android isn't likely to be inherently less secure, so as with all the platforms, you just have to stay knowledgeable and be wary of FUD (stories designed to instill fear, uncertainty and doubt).
Glenn Gruber, who is AVP for mobile solutions at Ness says it's prudent to be concerned, but there is no need to be paranoid. The problem, he says, is finding good information on which make informed choices. "The question about Android security is tricky because there are competing stats that say Android malware is increasing and decreasing, which in turn probably causes more fear," Gruber said.
In that light, Gruber suggests educating yourself as much as you can and then in turn making sure your users understand the dangers of malware. Gruber says the simplicity and ease of the app stores can sometimes lead to issues, especially for end users "The app store mentality, the ease in which you can quickly download an app, has lowered people’s attention towards what access an app has to their data and therefore invites more attempts to surreptitiously gain access to that data," Gruber explained.
He adds, " It is good that Android tells (warns) users what permissions the app requests, but if they don’t understand what that means, the warnings are useless."
Google clearly recognizes these concerns and
has just announced Google Bouncer, a new security screening tool that looks for apps infected with malware before the public can download them. This is certainly a step in the right direction because it brings some semblance of order to the Google apps marketplace, but is it enough?
Gruber's not sure. "While Bouncer is a good step forward, it can only find malware or viruses that their virus scanner engine is programmed to look for. I expect that it is relatively up to date, but all of these engines are rear-view mirror oriented."
The irony that by bringing control to the marketplace, it makes Google more like Apple was not lost on Gruber. "What’s funny is that Bouncer, better curation over Android Market and the new Android Interface Guidelines are all things that make Android and [its] Market more Apple-like. They have become the thing that they (and all the fan-Droids) despise if you will."
Because Android is open and people can tinker with the phones and OS, it leaves Android vulnerable to criticism that it's more suceptible than closed systems from competitors, but open systems have always been that way and always had to deal with the FUD that accompanies that freedom. If you can do anything, you can do bad things, right? Yes, the openness works both ways, but it also provides a level of transparency of process that isn't possible in closed system. For many, that risk is a price worth paying for an open platform.
Most IT pros get the advantages of open platforms at this point. It makes life a lot easier for you, but when the open device is in the hands of a user who might be connecting to your network, and that user has downloaded an app with malware, it's reasonable to be concerned.
It doesn't mean you dismiss Android by any means, any more than you would dismiss
Apple because it's not terribly IT friendly, but you have to educate your users and let them know the possible risks and help give them the skills to protect themselves from the dangers that are clearly there with Android (and frankly, any device).