It’s funny, a few years ago, a friend of mine got a job at a big firm and was to be issued a BlackBerry.  He asked, “what about the iPhone?”, (when they were still new) and thus ensued a bit of a rigorous research within the company to answer “why not”.  In the end they found out it was just as well and instead of issuing a corporate device, subsidized him to buy a phone of his choosing (unfortunately an iPhone… I know, I’m trying to change him)

Fast forward a few years to the present and it’s funny that many companies still have that “but BlackBerries are the only thing that work for our corporate email”.  Even when I have the job I have now, it was something offered, but I showed how it easily is incorporated into my current phone.  Jaws hit the floor I believe.

Just the other day we had a meeting and one of the attendees indicated that their firm now finally allows for Android devices.

Sure, there’s some techno-mumbo-jumbo associated with it I’m sure.  But here’s where Samsung is helping the battle, and cure us of our BB addiction.  (although, it’ll be hard… in order to connect my device it had to switch from BES to ActiveSync, which was a $2/month charge… wtf?)

They’ve created SAFE.

Samsung Approved for Enterprise

It’s a way for corporations to know that phones, like the new Galaxy S3, are totally fine for your corporation.

Below is from their release.  Now it mentions, primarily, US carriers, but you know that this is still the same story across the board.  If it’s ‘SAFE’ in US, it’ll be SAFE in Canada too.

So, companies… let your employees off the leash and allow them the freedom to connect their device to your corporate email.

Samsung Makes Android SAFE™ for Enterprises, Offers Trade-In Program to Upgrade to the Galaxy S III

DALLAS — June 18, 2024 — With the AndroidTM operating system projected to be the No. 1 platform for enterprise smartphones by 2024[1], Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (Samsung Mobile) is simplifying enterprise adoption with the introduction of SAFE (Samsung Approved for Enterprise) and the first SAFE-branded smartphone in the United States, the Galaxy S® III, which will be available at AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and US Cellular by July. To aid prosumers and corporations in accessing the most innovative smartphone on the market, Samsung is also introducing SAFE2SWITCH, a trade-up program that offers competitive pricing for qualifying smartphones for both individuals and enterprise customers.

SAFE – Optimized for the Enterprise
SAFE provides a comprehensive approach to making Android devices secure and manageable by systematically meeting the rapidly evolving needs of IT and the growing number of businesses allowing employees to “bring your own device” (BYOD) to work. Samsung created SAFE as a way to defragment the Android OS across multiple versions from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich at U.S. carriers. Out of the box, the SAFE-branded Galaxy S III supports a full suite of enterprise-ready features and capabilities with support for 338 IT Policies.[2] This includes on-device AES-256 bit encryption, enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and support for industry-leading Virtual Private Network (VPN) and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions.

Over the last 12 months, Samsung has surpassed its next nearest handset and smartphone competitors to become No. 1 globally[3] and now has its sights set on the enterprise. Working closely with enterprise customers and industry-leading solutions providers, Samsung developed a thorough quality assurance program.  This program begins with MDM and VPN solutions providers using Samsung’s software development kit to deeply integrate their solution on the SAFE device.  Once the development effort is completed, Samsung and the solution provider then thoroughly test and verify the device’s support for the MDM and/or VPN software. This collaboration, coupled with the testing process, creates solutions that are optimized for SAFE devices and enterprise use including adoption within regulated industries such as healthcare, financial services and government.

“It’s now safe to say that the ‘Next Big Thing in Enterprise’ is here with the near-term availability of SAFE-branded Galaxy S III devices at five U.S. carriers,” said Tim Wagner, Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Sales at Samsung Mobile.  “The highly desirable, SAFE-branded and QA-tested Galaxy S III smartphone systematically defragments Android to provide a consistent level of IT compliance for individuals who demand the very best in both their personal and professional lives.”

Galaxy S III – Powerful, Collaborative, Secure
The Galaxy S III offers secure features and capabilities that may be used in a wide range of business situations to improve efficiency and productivity.
AllShare Play – Group Cast:  Securely share PowerPoint presentations and PDFs with business partners also using Galaxy S III devices
Share Shot:  Quickly and easily compile and share photos with colleagues and contacts
S Beam One Touch Sharing (NFC and Wi-Fi Direct):  Quickly exchange contact and meeting information or company documents by simply tapping phones together. S Beam can also be controlled via an MDM solution.
Intelligent Display and Motion:  Focus on the job at hand with intuitive features like Direct Call and Smart Stay
HD Super AMOLEDTM Display:  Review detailed plans or blueprints with brilliant 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display on second-generation rugged Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Samsung TecTiles:  NFC programmable tags and mobile application transform how businesses, both large and small, engage their customers

SAFE2SWITCH Prosumer / Enterprise Trade-In Program
With the launch of the SAFE-branded Galaxy S III, Samsung is announcing the availability of a trade-up program called SAFE2SWITCH which simplifies the transition to Samsung SAFE devices from Samsung or other manufacturers’ smartphones. Both prosumers and corporate customers alike can take advantage of this program which offers very competitive trade-in values in real-time from their existing smartphone or Internet-connected device. For more details, visit www.samsungsafe2switch.com.