三星欲提高安卓安全性

    安卓（Android）在消费者中颇受青睐。这款多版本的移动操作系统占据了智能手机市场高达59％的份额。但IT人士不大买它的账。

    为此，高端手机制造商三星（Samsung）创造了一种名为SAFE的认可标志，来标示适用于企业的产品。带有SAFE标志的新款设备【包括新款Galaxy S III系列，该设备将于本月晚些时候通过美国电话电报公司（AT&T）、威瑞森无线（Verizon Wireless）、斯普林特（Sprint）以及德国电信（T-Mobile）发售】带有内置的安全功能，例如VPN访问，设备内置加密，以及支持移动设备管理工具和微软（Microsoft）的Exchange ActiveSync。

    虽然安卓深受个人消费者欢迎，但其在企业市场的步伐却有些蹒跚不前。这在一定程度上是因为所谓的安卓“碎片化”问题——谷歌的这款操作系统版本众多，而且运行设备多种多样，导致管理难度大为增加。例如：移动管理软件供应商Good Technology最近发布报告指出，在其新近激活的企业客户中，37%在使用苹果（Apple）iOS系统，安卓系统以26%占有率紧随其后。最受欢迎的安卓设备是摩托罗拉（Motorola）Droid。

    不过，最近刚登上全球手机销量冠军宝座的三星认为，该公司能够推动Android平台进入企业市场。现在就谈论IT经理和个人用户会对SAFE产品作何反应还为时尚早，不过，三星此次选择自己动手无疑是个聪明的举动。虽然iPhone可能仍是移动专业人士的最佳选择，但随着Research in Motion的黑莓手机迅速衰落，以及微软（Microsoft）Windows Phone手机当下的碌碌无为，其它手机制造商仍能获得足够的商机以切入企业市场。三星副总裁兼企业销售部总经理蒂姆•瓦格纳称：“我们之前就注意到了这一点。只要需求变得足够大，它（一款特定的智能手机）被企业市场接纳就只是个时间问题。”

    当然，苹果iPhone和iPad几乎不费吹灰之力就成功打入了企业市场。不过，太平洋煤电（PG&E）和美国航空（American Airlines）目前已经开部署三星的安卓平板电脑。在太平洋煤电，大约150名技术人员正在使用三星Galaxy平板在现场进行（煤气）泄漏调查。美国航空也购买了相同型号的Android平板，将其安放在飞机的商务舱内。

    这些都是规模相对较小的配置，但它们很可能会进一步增长，尽管IT部门对管理多版本安卓的难度颇有微词。根据消费市场的情况来看，估计安卓设备将大量进入企业级市场，不论这些设备是否带有SAFE标志。

    译者：项航

    Android is a hit with consumers. The multi-flavored mobile operating system commands a whopping 59% of the smartphone market. But it's not so popular with IT guys.

    Enter top phonemaker Samsung, which has created an enterprise-ready seal of approval dubbed SAFE. New devices branded with the SAFE logo (including the new Galaxy S III, which will be available through AT&T (T), Verizon Wireless (VZ), Sprint (S) and T-Mobile later this month) come with built-in security features like VPN access, on-device encryption and support for mobile device management tools and Microsoft's (MSFT) Exchange ActiveSync.

    Despite Android's popularity among consumers, the mobile platform is lagging behind in the enterprise. That's at least partly due to the so-called "fragmentation" of Android -- the fact that Google's (GOOG) operating system comes in many different versions and on many varying devices makes it hard to manage. Case in point: A recent report from Good Technology, a provider of mobile device management software, showed that Apple's (AAPL) iOS commands 37% of its corporate customers' new phone activations. Android came in second with 26%. The most popular Android device was the Motorola (MMI) Droid.

    But as the newly crowned top phonemaker in the world, Samsung believes it can propel adoption of the Android platform in the enterprise. It's too early to tell how IT managers -- and consumers -- will react to the SAFE logo, but it's a smart move for Samsung to take a hands-on approach. The iPhone may still be the popular choice among mobile professionals, but with battered BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIMM) in fast decline and Microsoft's Windows phones still no where in sight, there's plenty of room for other phonemakers to start wooing IT managers. "We've seen this before," says Tim Wagner, VP and general manager of enterprise sales at Samsung. "Once desire becomes so large it's only a matter of time before it [a particular smartphone] becomes adopted in the enterprise."

    Of course, Apple's iPhones and iPads have enjoyed the enterprise market with relatively little effort. But companies like PG&E and American Airlines are already rolling out Samsung's Android-running tablets. At PG&E (PCG), about 150 technicians are now using Samsung's Galaxy Tab to conduct leak surveys on the field. American Airlines has made the same Android-powered tablets available for passengers in business class cabins.

    These are relatively small deployments, but they are likely to grow, despite IT's complaints about the difficulties of managing the multiple flavors of Android. If the consumer market is any indication—which it is—you can expect to see a lot more Android devices entering the workplace, with or without SAFE.