Samsung has taken its next step in becoming the go-to enterprise and BYOD (bring your own device) brand for Android. The company has added KNOX to its SAFE (Samsung For Enterprise) brand, enabling the first “containerization” of the Android platform.
Like BlackBerry Balance, this allows IT administrators to syphon off data into a separate part of the phone complete with enhanced APIs, a secure kernel, simultaneous VPN connections, and on-device encryption for absolute protection against external threats and malware. KNOX is the first NSA-approved implementation of Security Enhanced Android, which uses a custom Linux kernel to ensure OS integrity at the lowest possible levels.
All user data, including data from apps downloaded via Samsung’s Enterprise App Store, will be completely inaccessible outside of the container. If a device gets stolen or goes missing, IT administrators can initiate a secure wipe of the container’s data without compromising the integrity of the user’s personal information, just in case he or she should recover the device.
Not only does KNOX support Active Directory management, full Exchange Activesync profiles and all of the popular MDMs, it is preloaded with nearly 400 IT policies from leading vendors.
The whole idea behind KNOX, which furthers SAFE’s initial promise, is “one device for work and play,” something Samsung says hasn’t been possible on the Android platform until now. Companies with existing enterprise backends powered by Citrix, MobileIron, Airwatch, SOTI and others can be fully integrated into KNOX, removing the need for a middleman NOC.
No word on launch dates or pricing, but we’d expect it to be rolled out in the next few months.
MISSISSAUGA, ON – February 25, 2013 – Samsung Canada, the leading supplier of mobile phones in the Canadian marketplace, today announced Samsung KNOX, an innovative, comprehensive enterprise mobile solution to further strengthen their position in the B2B market. Providing a unique and differentiated solution that allows consumers to use one device for both work and play, KNOX addresses the growing trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in the Canadian enterprises.
Debuting at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, KNOX aligns with the on-going Samsung for Enterprise (SAFE) solution as part of an ongoing effort initiated by Samsung to promote the readiness of its devices for enterprise use. By incorporating Security Enhanced (SE) Android and integrity management services that is implemented in both hardware and the Android framework, KNOX offers a container solution that separates business and personal use of a mobile device. This separation is enforced by SE Android and file system level encryption, which offers protection of business data and applications from data leakage, viruses and malware attacks. Lightweight and compatible with existing common enterprise infrastructure such as MDM, VPN and directory services, KNOX provides reassurance and convenience for IT departments looking to implement and manage BYOD strategies.
Easily accessible via an icon on the home screen, the KNOX container presents a variety of enterprise applications in a secure environment including email, browser, contacts, calendars, file sharing, collaboration, CRM and business intelligence applications. KNOX enables existing Android eco-system applications to automatically gain enterprise integration and validated, robust security with zero change to the application source code. KNOX relieves application developers from the burden of developing individual enterprise features such as VPN, on-device encryption, Enterprise Single Sign On (SSO), Active Directory support and Smart Card based multi-factor authentication.
“We are thrilled to announce Samsung KNOX as an additional layer of reassurance and convenience for Canadian IT departments who are looking to implement and manage Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategies within their enterprises,” said Paul Brannen, Vice President, Enterprise Business Solutions at Samsung Canada. “Security and privacy are understandably held up as barriers to businesses embracing BYOD demands. The KNOX solution allows employees to combine business and personal in a single device, without compromising the security that IT departments are looking for.”
KNOX will be commercially available in selected Samsung GALAXY devices from Q2 2013 onwards and for more information on the SAFE program, please visit: www.samsung.ca/safe
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