Android dominates smartphone utilization all through the world — in each area besides North America and Oceania. Thus, companies in lots of areas are prone to help and concern Android gadgets to workers as their mainstay cellular gadgets. Even in areas the place Apple’s iPhone dominates or is comparable in market share, companies are prone to help or concern Android gadgets no less than as a secondary possibility.Google has a certification referred to as Android Enterprise Recommended that focuses on enterprise considerations round efficiency, machine administration, bulk machine enrollment, and safety replace commitments. Google publishes a software to assist IT see which gadgets meet that certification in numerous areas, in addition to discover supported Android variations and finish dates for safety updates.But as Computerworld columnist JR Raphael has proven, the Google enterprise compliance checker shouldn’t be stored updated, so it can’t be relied on by itself. It’s additionally not clear that Google is implementing compliance after merchandise get licensed. Bottom line: Android Enterprise Recommended is a place to begin for narrowing your choices, not a definitive filter.Apple tightly controls the iPhone and its iOS working system, which provides IT robust assurance about software program updates, safety patches, machine capabilities, and manageability. By distinction, the Android world is very numerous, with dozens of producers utilizing Google’s Android platform however providing various ranges of high quality and help, and in lots of instances few or inconsistent OS and safety updates. The use of Android thus requires extra effort by IT in deciding on and supporting cellular gadgets.For that cause, iPhones usually tend to be the official enterprise platforms (what are referred to as corporate-liable gadgets) for gadgets that enterprises purchase for his or her workers, even in areas the place Android dominates. But it’s typical for firms to let workers use their private gadgets for work (what are referred to as employee-liable gadgets or bring-your-own gadgets [BYOD]), offering entry no less than to work electronic mail and calendars, and sometimes to web-based companies.So how does IT select which Android gadgets to purchase and/or help for its customers? This article will get you began. Recommendations for greatest Android gadgets in enterpriseFor information staff and general-purpose busines utilization, there’s only one Android producer with world machine availability and enterprise-class (even military-grade) safety, plus multiyear software program and safety updates after buy: Samsung. That makes Samsung the perfect (and sometimes solely) alternative for corporate-liable Android gadgets in each area. Its enterprise-grade fashions (what Samsung calls Android Secured by Knox) embrace the Galaxy S, Galaxy A5x, Galaxy A3x, Note, XCover, Z Flip3, and Z Fold3 collection. For these fashions, safety updates are promised for 5 years after preliminary launch; Samsung publishes the safety lifespans for its enterprise-grade gadgets, which range by machine.But Samsung gadgets do have points to pay attention to, together with the usage of Samsung’s proprietary interface and its proprietary apps (although you’ll be able to nonetheless use the usual Google apps), each of which may require further IT help for these extra aware of Google-standard Android gadgets. Columnist Raphael additionally objects to a few of Samsung’s practices round privateness and promoting. Still, no different Android producer presents the mixture of safety and availability that Samsung does. Google’s Pixel 6 collection and new Pixel 7 collection are equally safe, however with out the proprietary UI and apps. Google too guarantees 5 years of safety updates after preliminary launch. However, the Pixel 6 collection is out there in only a dozen nations: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States. The Pixel 7 collection is out there in the identical nations plus Denmark, India, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.Motorola’s enterprise-class Android gadgets, such because the Edge 30 Fusion and Ultra fashions, are equally safe. They’re out there in 65 nations, together with most of Europe, a lot of Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Canada, the US, and the UK. Where Motorola falls a bit quick is in replace help: It commits to simply three years for safety updates and to only one main Android OS model replace.In most nations, these really useful gadgets are sometimes too dear for rank-and-file workers and for his or her companies to purchase for customers apart from executives or these dealing with very delicate data. Fortunately, there’s a set of Android distributors that provide a spread of cheap and reasonably priced telephones that present good high quality and enough safety: Nokia, OnePlus, Oppo, Sony, and Xiaomi. Samsung additionally has a number of reasonably priced telephones with enough safety, and Motorola has its Moto G and Edge Neo fashions. As proven later on this article, these distributors’ prevalence varies considerably throughout and inside areas.Why these suggestions? And what different choices does IT have or might get person strain to help? The sections that observe discover the important elements: safety, updatability, machine capabilities of concern to enterprise use, and vendor availability in numerous areas of the globe. There’s additionally a bit on special-purpose front-line Android gadgets. Security issues for Android gadgetsIn the early days of Android, safety was a significant IT concern. Research in Motion’s BlackBerry had set excessive requirements within the 1990s and early 2000s for cellular safety, whereas the early Android (and iOS) gadgets fell far in need of IT expectations. Apple after which Samsung moved to make cellular safety no less than nearly as good as BlackBerry’s within the early 2010s, and Google adopted swimsuit a number of years later by making encryption normal in Android after which making container-based separation of labor and private information and apps a normal a part of 2015’s Android 5.0 Lollipop OS. By 2017, the Android platform had robust safety capabilities. More subtle capabilities grew to become out there by each {hardware} and software program extensions, akin to Samsung’s Knox platform in 2013 for its enterprise gadgets and Google’s Android for Work (later renamed Android Enterprise) for the remainder of the Android world. Android Enterprise help grew to become a normal function in 2018’s Android 9.0 Pie.Today, IT can rely on all Android gadgets having the fundamental stage of safety wanted. But some customers — akin to high-level executives who deal in delicate company information, or operations employees managing vital infrastructure or provide chains — want extra safety. And that impacts your enterprise Android machine choices.There are three safety ranges to contemplate, and plenty of organizations will want multiple in place:Basic safety: This stage is acceptable on private gadgets permitted to entry primary company methods like electronic mail. The primary safety stage offers machine encryption, password enforcement, distant lock and wipe, and sandboxed execution of safety capabilities.All present Android gadgets help this stage, with even only a primary administration software like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 in place.Moderate safety: This stage is acceptable for when IT requires or permits private gadgets for use for company entry and apps, in addition to for corporate-issued gadgets allowed to even be used for private functions.The reasonable safety stage offers the fundamental stage plus separation of labor information and apps from private information and apps by way of containers, by way of a unified endpoint administration (UEM) platform that helps Google’s Android Enterprise platform or, just for Samsung gadgets, Samsung Knox. Tip: Compare the main UEM platforms’ capabilities in Computerworld’s information.All present Android gadgets with no less than 3MB of RAM help work/private separation, however some UEM platforms might require that the gadgets run newer variations of Android than are deployed at your group.Advanced safety: This stage is acceptable for executives, human assets professionals, finance professionals, and anybody coping with vital information and methods entry akin to in authorities, protection/army, finance, healthcare, and significant infrastructure like utilities, power, and transport.The superior safety stage offers the reasonable stage plus chip-based safety enabled to scale back unauthorized entry by spies and hackers, in addition to compliance with the US’s latest Common Criteria safety normal.Chip-level safety detects hacks to the working system, firmware, reminiscence, and different core methods, and locks down or shuts down the machine in consequence, by way of Android’s Keystore service. Such hardware-level safety shouldn’t be an Android Enterprise Recommended requirement, however it’s important for military-grade safety.Only a number of gadgets use chip-level safety to guard system integrity: Samsung’s Android Secured by Knox telephones use Arm’s TrustZone chip for its Trusted Boot, Google’s Pixel collection makes use of its personal Titan-M chip for its Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), and Motorola says all its Android gadgets use Arm’s TrustZone chip for its Strongbox. (Apple’s iPhones have this functionality too by way of the Secure Enclave.) The different Android distributors didn’t reply to my inquiries about their safety capabilities however seem to not help hardware-based safety, based mostly on their web sites’ specification information.Common Criteria imposes particular safety approaches that the US authorities thus is aware of it could actually depend on throughout gadgets. Although additionally not an Android Enterprise Recommended requirement, Common Criteria is an effective advanced-security normal for IT to make use of anyplace on the planet.Android fashions from a number of distributors adjust to Common Criteria: a number of from Google, Huawei, Motorola, Oppo, Samsung, and Sony, in addition to some front-line specialty gadgets from Honeywell and Zebra Technologies. (Filter by “Mobility” within the Common Criteria internet software to get the present listing.) Apple’s iPhone additionally complies.Government safety certification for AndroidIT organizations might need to look to authorities certifications to find out their Android machine choices for delicate makes use of. When Apple and Samsung each gained US Defense Department, UK Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and Australian Signals Directorate approval to be used of their enterprise-class gadgets within the mid-2010s, it was big information — breaking BlackBerry’s longstanding monopoly on authorities approval.Today, such bulletins are uncommon, and governments as a substitute concentrate on making certain that authorised UEM platforms are in place to handle the extensively used iPhones and Android telephones. But just lately the US Department of Defense has authorised a number of Samsung telephones and a few front-line Android gadgets from Honeywell and Zebra Technologies for delicate makes use of, because it strikes to utilizing the Common Criteria normal. And the Australia Signals Directorate has authorised a number of Samsung telephones just lately as effectively.The troubling safety questions round Huawei’s Android devicesIT is not going to discover Huawei gadgets in Google’s Android Enterprise Recommended database. Google eliminated them in 2019 after public allegations from the US authorities that Huawei gadgets have been spying on customers by way of backdoors on behalf of the Chinese authorities. These considerations usually are not new: In 2012, I used to be having drinks with a number of US intelligence officers and protection contractors at an off-the-record convention of CIOs the place they raised the identical fears about Huawei, ZTE, and different Chinese laptop and telecom producers. Back then (below the Obama administration), US intelligence officers have been quietly warning company CIOs about Huawei’s large spying operations throughout its entire know-how stack.Those fears about Huawei’s alleged being a conduit for spying are not quiet, with each the Trump and Biden administrations since talking publicly. Multiple different governments have additionally made the identical accusations, which Huawei denies.Because Huawei gadgets are fashionable in a number of markets — China, in fact, but additionally in lots of components of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and South America — involved IT departments might need to use administration instruments to disclaim Huawei and different distrusted gadgets entry to their assets. Be certain to verify whether or not your administration software can block entry based mostly on machine vendor. According to their web sites, UEM platforms that may block gadgets by vendor embrace BlackBerry UEM, Microsoft Intune, and VMware Workspace One.Security and OS replace assurances for Android devicesIT usually desires assurances that gadgets will get safety updates and OS updates for a number of years, to scale back the danger of being hacked by way of previous gadgets that haven’t stored up their defenses. Google’s Android Enterprise Recommended certification requires just one future OS improve. For safety updates, it has no minimal, requiring solely that distributors publish their replace commitments on their web sites — and that data will be exhausting to seek out.In my survey of Android vendor websites, three to 5 years is typical for Android safety replace commitments on business-class gadgets, and one to a few future Android OS variations is typical for OS updates. (By distinction, Apple usually offers seven years of safety updates and 5 years of iOS updates.) The stingiest Android distributors when it comes to OS updates are Motorola, Oppo, and Xiaomi, which decide to only one main Android improve for his or her enterprise-class fashions. Google and Samsung have the perfect replace commitments.Vendors’ printed replace commitments for business-class Android gadgets embrace:
Google: 5 years of safety updates, three years of OS upgrades
Motorola: three years of safety updates, one yr of OS upgrades
Nokia: three years of safety updates, two years of OS upgrades
OnePlus: 4 years of safety updates, three main OS upgrades
Oppo: three years of safety updates, one yr of OS upgrades
Realme: three years of safety updates, two main OS upgrades
Samsung: “at least” 4 years of safety updates, three “generations” of OS upgrades
Vivo: three years of safety updates, three years of OS upgrades
Xiaomi: three years of safety updates, one main OS improve
I couldn’t discover replace data on the Huawei, Infinix, Itel, and Tecno websites, and the businesses didn’t reply to my requests for data.For licensed gadgets, you can even use Google’s Android Enterprise Recommended software to slender down by what date numerous distributors’ particular fashions’ safety updates will finish. Just take into account that the software might not have latest fashions. I additionally advocate you confirm whether or not distributors do what they promise by getting some older gadgets and seeing how latest the out there safety updates are: Have they stored up the promised period?Finally, take into account that mobile carriers can override, gradual, or block updates in lots of nations, overriding no matter guarantees the machine vendor has made. For instance, Google notes on its Pixel web page that Pixel telephones purchased instantly from Google typically get updates before these purchased by a provider. That provider management is a longstanding actuality, effectively pre-dating trendy cellular gadgets, with solely Apple in a position to have absolutely wrested management over updates from the carriers.
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