What to Do About Android in the Enterprise

Paula Musich

Summary Bullets:

• Enterprises are right to hold back on an endorsement of Android devices as part of their BYOD programs, but that may not stop employees from trying to go around policies that prohibit their use within the enterprise.
• IT shops that are developing or managing BYOD programs for their employers should evaluate the level of security that Samsung has built into its Knox containerization technology and, if they find that it is adequate, push their MDM/MAM suppliers and mobile application developers to support it.

As enterprises struggle to get their arms around the BYOD phenomenon, one of the stumbling blocks in creating policies for sanctioning the use of employee-owned devices to access enterprise applications and data is IT’s reluctance to embrace Android smartphones and tablets.  While consumers are voting with their dollars more and more for Android devices (thanks to their cool factor), enterprise IT would much rather embrace Apple’s iPhones if it is to allow and support employee-owned device use.  At the AirWatch Connect users conference in Atlanta this week, that preference was made abundantly clear by several customers.