BlackBerry 10 smart phones and PlayBook tablets and devices that use Samsung’s Android Knox mobile device management system are OK for use on United States Department of Defense networks, the military has decided.
Mobile devices made by BlackBerry have been listed in the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Unified Communications Approved Production List, after going through tests at the DoD labs. This means BlackBerry’s Z10 touch screen smart phone, its QWERTY keyboard-enabled sibling, the Q10, and PlayBook tablets using the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 mobile management platform are considered secure for defence personnel to use over the DoD networks.
The approval means further bolsters BB10’s reputation and would hopefully translate to increased purchases of BlackBerry’s devices. About one million BlackBerry Z10 smart phones were sold as of March 2, according to BlackBerry.
The defense department also said Samsung’s secure Knox MDM system is approved. The department is also testing Apple’s iOS operating system.
“This is a significant step towards establishing a multivendor environment that supports a variety of state-of-the-art devices and operating systems,” Air Force Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.
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Last month, the company was faced with rumours that the BB10 mobile operating system failed security tests administered by the United Kingdom’s Communications-Electronic Security Group. The CESG quickly denied these reports saying it has not yet performed any evaluation but said the BB10 platform is “likely to present a viable solution for the U.K. government.”
One feature of the BB10 is Balance, which enables IT administrators and users to separate personal and work accounts in their BB10 handsets. The feature is touted by the mobile device maker as an excellent deterrent to data leaks in the corporate setting and one that addresses the security needs of organizations employing so-called bring your own device (BYOD) policies.