Report: US Department of Defense to grant security approval for Samsung phones

Samsung and Apple are dominating the consumer smartphone world, and they both are finding solid ground within enterprise, but Blackberry is still king when it comes to government-approved mobile telephony. That could all change very soon, though, as the Wall Street Journal reports the United States Department of Defense will soon clear some Samsung and Apple devices to use within several branches of the military and defense government.

These devices won’t be given the clearance needed for employees to carry out any task that is super sensitive, but they should be good enough for low-level email and voice communications between government employees. It’s worthy to note that the security clearance doesn’t necessarily mean employees will be migrating by the boatload. This only means agencies which follow DoD security standards won’t need to carry out approval processes of their own in the event they want to buy some of these devices for employees.

At a governmental advisory meeting last month, Samsung reportedly met with security officials and representatives of several government agencies from around the world. According to meeting notes retrieved by WSJ sources, Samsung apparently revealed to these groups that it would be rolling out a device that’s secure and powerful enough for governmental use while also being a rugged beast. As earlier rumors suggested, this phone will eventually turn out to be a rugged version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 (which could also launch as the Samsung Galaxy Active).

It would appear that devices with Samsung’s security-laden KNOX software will be those which are most ideal for the Department of Defense. The software adds another layer and element of security that aims to comply with the guidelines set by governments around the world.

Samsung’s not expecting to bank from this alone. Even if it does find its phones being bought for widespread use by government employees, that is a very small market. Instead, Samsung’s ultimate goal will be to improve its stock in the eyes of enterprise. The idea is that if the phone is secure enough for the government, it’s secure enough for most companies. Samsung’s SAFE initiatives have already confirmed the company’s desire to grow in the enterprise market, and this development would be another huge step toward gaining the confidence of the businesses of the world.

[via iSource]