The Government of Canada’s Information Technology Strategic Plan 2016-2020 lays out policies and procedures required to mitigate the risk of significant cyber security events. Among the recommendations: securing the network perimeter; implementing profiles for endpoint devices to reduce malicious threats; implementing vulnerability and patch management; and enhancing enterprise-wide awareness of the cyber threat and risk environment.
While these are complex and expensive propositions, there are some powerful solutions built into the latest Samsung devices that can help thwart the efforts of a growing number of bad actors to access government networks and critical public data.
One device for work and play
Samsung KNOX is a multilayered platform that constantly verifies the integrity of devices through a chain of security checks from the hardware level down to the operating system. It provides government-sector professionals with defense-grade protection from cyber threats through the creation of business and personal spaces.
KNOX users have a secure, virtual Android environment for business use, separate from personal apps and content. Enterprise IT access is limited to this container, giving users the privacy and control over their personal apps and content they need and expect.
Government a target
Government workers have of late become one of the favoured targets of hackers. The Breach Level Index, a repository of global data breaches, reports that in 2013 just 2.9 per cent of all records lost or stolen were government records. This percentage has risen dramatically, reaching a high of 41.4 in 2015 and holding steady since then. Such a threat environment calls not merely for caution but for gold-standard security.
Innovative … empowered
Samsung KNOX, which has successfully met the rigorous security requirements set by 29 governments and enterprises around the world, including the Canadian Federal Government, allows users to be more productive and innovative, and empowers IT administrators:
- KNOX Configure – Quickly and remotely configure all Samsung devices, tailoring them to specific needs. Create profiles with device settings, restrictions, apps, and other content. Enrolled devices will automatically receive them via WiFi and mobile data.
- KNOX Mobile Enrollment – Add thousands of devices to the enterprise at once, without having to manually enroll each one. When the process is complete, users simply power on their devices and connect to the network to enroll.
- KNOX Manage – Manage a fleet of devices with a cloud-based EMM solution that increases business efficiency and secure corporate data.
- KNOX Workspace – Isolate business applications and data from personal ones. Knox creates an encrypted container, which IT admins can remotely manage by integrating it with their MDM.
- E-FOTA (Enterprise Firmware OTA) – Control OS versions on employee devices. Test updates before deployment, ensuring compatibilities between in-house software and the new OS version.
The business goals of a government office may differ from those of a for-profit enterprise, but government employees have the same needs as any professional when it comes to mobility. They no longer want to have to take the “gunslinger” approach, using one device for business and another for personal. They want secure devices they can use 9-to-5 and 5-to-9, both in the office during office hours and any other time of day outside the office. And considering how powerful today’s devices are, why shouldn’t they expect it?
Visit Samsung KNOX online to learn more about Samsung’s guarantee of security, and a secure device gives you the freedom to work and play how, where, and when you want.
