Today's hand-held devises, PDAs and smartphones are becoming essential tools for businesses and consumers alike. Plus, mobile computing also includes a new spectrum of laptops, tablets, netbooks and pads. Along with all these new devices comes new security risks requiring the strongest protection

Since the 1990s, there have been many types of portable computers to take on the road including wearable computers, personal digital assistants and even car-puters. Simple cell phones have turned into a mini-computer, a device with corporate intranet and Internet capabilities, all connecting to an entire spectrum of networks. Further, this opens up new conduits for security threats to companies with mobile workers, because virus writers and hackers are lurking in the underground scheming to make illicit profits and mischief.

ComScore, Inc. says there are a total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the U.S. were using mobile devices in December 2009 - including an entire ecosystem surrounding the devices from handset manufacturers, mobile operators, and enterprises with mobile workers, to individual workers. The problem is many of these devices were not designed with security in mind. It can be quite disruptive when an infection strikes mobile devices, and the impact it can have on business ranges from a tarnished reputation and lost data to lost revenues.

there are many evolving threats to these devices as well as a substantial increase in mobile access to sensitive data. IT departments are constantly reevaluating security policies, making sure their mobile devices are adequately protected against malware, and other malicious code that is being created by hackers and identity thieves.

One big threat includes botnets, which currently pose a huge threat to Internet security. Bots are web robots that sneak into computers and turn them into zombies, and they each turn other computers into zombies or an army of zombies that is headed up by a botmaster or hacker.

The term zombie originated in the West Indies, where it refers to a robot-like person who is said to have been revived from the dead. The security industry is scrambling to develop new technologies and Internet security products for netbooks to fight these infestations for robust protection.

Today's mobile computing requires strong, fast and easy-to-use protection such as cloud technology to automatically stop viruses and spyware before they reach your computer, so it won't slow you down.

Whatever the future holds for mobile computing, if you have a netbook, you and your family can e-mail and surf the Web hassle-free, with the confidence that you're safe.