BlackBerry 10, Samsung KNOX approved for use on DoD networks
NewsMay 09, 2013
WATERLOO, ON and LONDON, UK. In two separate announcements late last week, both BlackBerry and Samsung Electronics revealed that BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets running BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and Samsung KNOX-enabled smartphones and tablets have been approved for use on U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) networks. The devices were successfully qualified against Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) standards by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and will be placed on the Unified Communications Approved Product List (UC APL).
BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 is an enterprise mobility management platform equipped with a administration console for users, groups, and services, and provides device management for BlackBerry Q10 and Z10 smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, as well as iOS and Android Devices. Enterprise Service 10 also includes the BlackBerry Balance secure encryption technology that partitions work apps and information from “personal” space on the device.
“BlackBerry 10 is ideal for our government customers because it offers a rich, highly responsive mobile computing experience, along with BlackBerry’s proven and validated security,” says Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President, BlackBerry Security, BlackBerry. “This approval will enable DoD customers to connect their BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10 smartphones to DoD networks and securely access assets from work while enjoying the wealth of consumer-oriented functionality that BlackBerry 10 brings to market.”
Samsung KNOX, a secure Mobile Device Management (MDM) platform for Android devices, also includes partitioned security features, including a container that isolates sensitive applications and data from the rest of the device. In addition, KNOX provides secure boot, Security Enhanced (SE) Android, and Linux kernel monitor called TrustZone-based Integrity Measurement Architecture (TIMA) capable of taking policy-based action if device integrity is compromised. KNOX is currently deployed on the Samsung Galaxy S4 platform and will be extended to future Galaxy devices as well.
Overviews of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 and Samsung KNOX can be found at http://osmphp.s3.amazonaws.com/BBES10.pdf and http://osmphp.s3.amazonaws.com/SSKNOX.pdf, respectively.
