The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has approved the Android 4.4 operating system (OS) and the Samsung Knox security container for use on unclassified defense networks, the agency said May 14.
DISA–which implements mobility policy at the behest of the Pentagon Chief Information Officer–said the two capabilities were rolled out to its mission partners on May 9. The additions are part of the DoD Mobility Unclassified Capability (DMUC), which entered its second phase in April. A major component of DoD’s mobile policy is adapting commercial-off-the-shelf technology for use within the department and becoming “device agnostic.”
Mobile users can now opt for Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones running Android 4.4–the latest mobile OS from Google [GOOG]. The operating system is fully supported on the Pentagon’s enterprise-wide mobile device management (MDM) system and with its mobile app store, which were both introduced in January. The app store currently stocks 19 DoD-verified apps with more coming this month, DISA said.
The Samsung Knox security container allows users to separate personal data from sensitive work data on their devices. Knox supports DoD enterprise email, calendars and contacts. The service allows users to switch between work and personal use while keeping the work data secure. Security solutions like Knox are typically the first step toward bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies. While DISA did not specifically mention BYOD in its statement, the combat support agency has previously suggested fiscal year 2017 as a potential timeframe for BYOD adoption.