Apple Mobile Devices to Get Pentagon Approval Early Next Week

The U.S. Defense Department will likely approve Apple's mobile devices for use on its networks early next week, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Alana Johnson.

The approval will allow for government-issued devices running iOS 6 and let Apple compete with BlackBerry and Samsung for military market share. However, widespread adoption of Apple devices can only happen after a mobile device management system is built by the Pentagon to secure the devices.

Bloomberg also reports that the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology granted Apple’s iOS 6 a certification known as the Federal Information Processing Standard for protecting sensitive data on May 3. Prior to this approval, agencies that purchased Apple devices had to use a third party application in order to comply with security requirements.


Michael Cooper, a manager in the agency's computer-security division, said departments can now "go out and buy these products off the shelf and know that they’re getting security capabilities built in that meet government standards."

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