The study from Juniper Research makes the interesting prediction that the number of corporate devices will soar to more than 77 million units worldwide by 2014, despite an anticipated flood of malware expected to hit mobile devices that has not yet materialised.

The report – titled `Endpoint Security for Business: Desktops, Laptops & Mobile Devices 2009–2014' – also says that Europe will dominate the market for mobile security, owing to its thriving smartphone market, followed by the US, China and Southeast Asia.

Anthony Cox, a senior analyst with Juniper, said: "Improvements to the underlying security of the mobile operating system – along with shorter replacement cycles and concerted efforts by the mobile industry to avoid the problems seen in the PC world – have so far kept the malware threat to the mobile device at bay."

It's not all rosy on the mobile security front, however, as the report notes that the increasing value of information held on the mobile device will be a significant factor in driving the uptake of security on the corporate mobile handset.

Delving into the study reveals that security software manufacturers have focused on the need for encryption and device locking and remote-wipe features.

Protection, meanwhile, will be higher in developed markets, with both Western Europe and North America at the forefront, largely on the back of companies' obligations to abide by data protection legislation.

As a result of this backdrop, the report says that corporate mobile device protection levels will rise from 5.6% in 2008 to 18.6% in 2014.