"The ubiquitous devices and platforms that will enable the Internet to be available everywhere pose new risks and challenges," said Ron Moritz, Symantec's chief technical officer. "As corporations embrace handheld devices and extend their network, securing programs and data on new platforms will become a necessity. Our goal is to safeguard critical data against potential attacks anywhere data wants to be by providing Internet security on a variety of platforms."

According to a 1999 IDC report titled "Smart Handheld Devices Market Review and Forecast," an estimated 50 million personal handhelds will enter businesses worldwide by 2003. Additionally, Forrester Research estimates that the mobile workforce will account for 57 percent of the total workforce in the next two years -- a rise from the current 35 percent.

Although there are currently no known computer virus, worm or Trojan horse threats targeting handheld devices, the Palm OS is susceptible to malicious code like other mainstream computing platforms since it runs a wide variety of programs."