Ground Floor: New product aimed at saving data from disappearing

For many people, a smartphone or tablet is a treasure trove of personal information - personal and business emails and text messages, banking data and treasured photographs.

The loss of a phone can mean sensitive and important information in the hands of a stranger or, worse, a business competitor.

"It's really surprising, one, how quickly the mobile space has grown, but two, how much information people are now putting on their mobile phones and carrying them in their pocket and taking them with wherever they go, which really opens up to the problem of loss, damage and theft," said Bob O'Dell, president and CEO of SecurityCoverage.

To help customers attempt to locate their lost device and also protect their personal information, Cedar Rapids-based SecurityCoverage has released a new service and series of applications called PhoneProtect.

PhoneProtect is a combination of three mobile applications developed by SecurityCoverage: File Hopper, which offers cloud storage; SecureIT, which protects a device against malware; and Password Genie, which offers secure data and password management.

In addition to the three applications, a customer who purchases PhoneProtect will get 24 hour/ 7 day a week support.

SecurityCoverage has been supporting mobile technology for three years.

When a customer purchases the service, their contacts, photos, videos and phone histories are automatically backed up and available for recovery. Personal information is encrypted and stored.

In addition, an anti-theft feature allows location, alerting, locking and device wipe.

If a phone is turned off, the service can tell where the phone was on last, O'Dell explained. Once the device is turned on again, staff can identify where it is.

"If we send a lock or an erase message to your phone, of course if it's off it, won't receive that, but the first time that it comes on and tries to get service, it will instantly get that or become locked down or wiped," O'Dell said.

PhoneProtect is available for Android and iOS devices. The three applications also is available for purchase separately on the Google Play and Apple store markets.

O'Dell said the next platform the team will look to support is the Windows 8 mobile.

At a Glance

• President and CEO: Bob O'Dell
• Company: SecurityCoverage
• Address: 230 Second St. SE, Suite 212, Cedar Rapids
• Website: www.securitycoverage.com

Know a company in business for less than a year, or a that added a new line, that should be considered for "The Ground Floor"? Contact business editor Michael Chevy Castranova at michael.castranova@sourcemedia.net.