Samsung launches Knox 2.0 security software on Galaxy S5 worldwide
Samsung's Knox 2.0 Workspace platform is now available on the Galaxy S5 smartphone worldwide, as the company attempts to boost security and lure enterprise users to the brand in the face of BYOD.
The South Korean firm announced the commercial availability of Knox 2.0 on Wednesday. Samsung says that Knox 2.0 features "cutting-edge core platform security, improved user experience, and an expansive ecosystem to better meet the rapidly evolving enterprise mobility needs of customer." In addition, the Knox workspace features core security enhancements to better protect device integrity, from kernels to application use.
The development of the Knox platform is one of many attempts by tech firms to provide solutions that cater to the Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend in today's modern business. While allowing employees to use their own mobile devices within the workplace saves a firm money, it also harbors security risk and can create a headache for IT departments tasked with ensuring cross-compatibility and network safety.
Samsung's Knox 2.0 platform has been renamed the Knox Workspace, and includes a number of new features:
- Platform security: Upgraded features include TrustZone-Protected Certificate Management, KNOX Key Store, Real-Time Protection for System Integrity, TrustZone-Protected ODE, Two-factor Biometric Authentication and an enhanced Knox framework.
- Support for all Android apps from the Google Play Store.
- Split-Billing to separate calculate the bills for personal-use apps and professional-use apps.
- Two new cloud-based services, KNOX EMM and KNOX Marketplace, and a customization service, KNOX Customization targeted specifically at SMBs. KNOX EMM provides cloud-based mobile device management and identity and access management, while KNOX Marketplace is a store for businesses to purchase KNOX and enterprise cloud apps. KNOX Customization allows users to customize B2B solutions with off-the-shelf hardware.
KNOX 2.0 will be available on other Samsung Galaxy devices through OS upgrades in the coming months.
"KNOX has been widely deployed by enterprises since it became first commercially available in the market in September 2013,” said JK Shin, President and CEO, Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. "As a result of this rapid adoption, we needed to evolve the Samsung KNOX platform to directly address the ever-changing needs of the enterprise as we demonstrate our commitment to protect and respond to future enterprise mobility and security challenges."