The concept of having a separate work phone for business is nothing new. While it's a little bit late to the party, Google is taking the idea of a separate work phone and combining it with your personal device to create a new Android platform strictly for the workplace called Android for Work. The company believes that this new program will provide all the necessary business tools that otherwise wouldn't be available for regular Android users.
At the heart of the program are what Google calls "work profiles." This creates a separate work profile to keep work data separate from other data on the device. IT management can install secure work apps on a device, but they can't view the user's personal content or any other data outside of the work profile. Additionally, any device running Android 5.0 Lollipop with Google for Work also gets enhanced SELinux security and multi-user support.
If you're running Android Ice Cream Sandwich through KitKat, Android for Work isn't a native app, so the company created an app version of the software. The app can deliver secure emails, calendar data, contacts and documents, and it can download work-approved apps. Just like the work profile, IT can also approve the downloadable apps located within the app.
Aside from the profile and app, the company created a suite of apps that works with emails, contacts and the calendar. These apps also allow editing on documents, just like in Google Docs.
With the entire program focused on business and work, Google partnered with various companies such as SAP, BlackBerry, Samsung, Adobe and Cisco to bring Android for Work not only to as many smartphone devices as possible, but to give the program credibility with some of the leading names in API management, business apps and networking.
Google wants Android for Work to be the de facto choice for business software, and considering the backing it has from multiple, high-profile companies, it could very well be easily adopted in the coming weeks and months.
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