Google Launches Android for Work

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Posted February 25, 2015 at 9:49pm by iClarified

Google has announced Android for Work, a program designed to increase the use of Android in the workplace.

For the majority of workers, smartphones and tablets are underutilized in the workplace. Their business and innovation potential remain largely untapped. Today we're announcing the Android for Work program to tap into that potential. With a group of partners, we're helping businesses bring more devices to work by securing, managing and innovating on the Android platform.

Android for Work features four key technology components:
● Work profiles – We’ve built on the default encryption, enhanced SELinux security enforcement and multi-user support in Android 5.0, Lollipop to create a dedicated work profile that isolates and protects work data. IT can deploy approved work apps right alongside their users personal apps knowing their sensitive data remains secured. People can use their personal apps knowing their employer only manages work data and won’t erase or view their personal content.
● Android for Work app – For devices running Ice Cream Sandwich through Kitkat, or that don’t run work profiles natively, we’ve created the Android for Work app. The app, which delivers secure mail, calendar, contacts, documents, browsing and access to approved work apps, can be completely managed by IT.
● Google Play for Work – It allows businesses to securely deploy and manage apps across all users running Android for Work, simplifying the process of distributing apps to employees and ensures that IT approves every deployed app.
● Built-in productivity tools – For everyday business tasks, we’ve created a suite of business apps for email, contacts and calendar, which supports both Exchange and Notes and provides document editing capabilities for documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Google has partnered with a number of companies for this effort as it looks to compete with Apple and its partner IBM. Apple and IBM recently announced a first wave of MobileFirst enterprise apps for iOS.

You can learn more about Android for Work at the link below.

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NoGoodNick - February 25, 2015 at 11:14pm

I'm not sure adding a 'secure' appointment book or calender app is going to make your phone any more successful with businesses. The issue isn't security, it's the ability to use such a small device to accomplish anything. That's why desktops continue to hang on. What's needed to sell these devices across businesses are large screens, dedicated keyboards and decent business apps (not brain-dead writing apps with add a couple fonts). So far, I've never seen any of these on ANY smartphone or tablet!

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iFan - February 26, 2015 at 4:27am

Actually not limited to phones, more productive in tablets. I work in a biotechnology company where we handle a lot of electronic documentation. Comunications and it's very dynamic and complex process. The thing is that we share the ipads on the procces but just to read procedures because we could not use the email or message feauteres because it is individual and we share ipads. we need to create and switch profiles but it its not avsilable in ios. In a company with 1k employees on the floor its hard to get 1k ipads.