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February 06, 2015

Samsung KNOX Gets Better with Good

It may sound like a strange idea, but Good is about to make Samsung KNOX better. More specifically, South Korea's Good Technology has made Good available for the Samsung KNOX system, which allows one of the best names in enterprise security platforms for Android devices available access to a line of app container and app ecosystem tools that allows for better management of devices going mobile.

The combined solution is actually the result of a lot of work that's been going on for almost a year now, with the initial announcement coming out at the Mobile World Congress 2014 event. But almost a year later, the solution is reportedly now in place, and now represents at last report the only enterprise mobility management (EMM) tool that offers the secure container platform built right into KNOX's security stack. With Good in place, a secured domain can be built directly into the KNOX-enhanced Android operation, which means that any other apps Good offers, apps that Good secures, or any custom apps that the Good Dynamics Secure Mobility Platform secures benefit directly from this added security.

Samsung KNOX was hardly a slouch to begin with, as reports note it was the only Android provider around for defense-grade and government-certified mobile security, landing Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) approval back in May 2013, with a subsequent upgrade to STIG version 2 back in April of 2014. But with the addition of Good, Samsung KNOX is now able to offer tools geared toward mobility management as well, a positive development given how much of the industry is progressing toward the mobile workforce and the like. Good also brings in some security firepower of its own, as Good for Enterprise represents, at last report, not only the first but also the only EMM solution that has Common Criteria EAL-4+ certification, as well as Department of Defense (DoD) approval and a set of Authority to Operate (ATO) designations with several defense agencies.

Samsung's executive vice president of enterprise business, IT, and mobile business, Injong Rhee, offered up some comment around the release, saying “Together, Samsung and Good are addressing the growing importance of mobility management for enterprises by delivering a secure mobile productivity solution for Android that will relieve organizations of past concerns with Android adoption such as rooting, viruses and malware. The combination of Samsung and Good represents the best solution for secure enterprise Android productivity – no matter whether corporate-liable, COPE or BYOD device ownership models are being used.”

Security has always been a major part of business operations, and the recent changes in technology likewise give rise to a new set of technology needs in security as well. Thus the combination of Samsung KNOX and Good should offer businesses concerned about security a new breed of protection, one that offers a particularly powerful use as businesses become increasingly mobile. With bring your own device (BYOD) procedures gaining ground as well, being able to secure individual devices as opposed to just the network is becoming increasingly valuable, and that should give the combined force of KNOX and Good a lot of extra attention from the market.

Only time will tell, of course, just how well this takes off, but a security package that's seen as much action as KNOX and Good already have should be a very popular new addition to the market.




Edited by Maurice Nagle


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