Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Will Android Overtake Blackberry in Enterprise?
Wednesday, June 02, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
The announcement of Android 2.2, the newest upgrade also known
as "Froyo," has given users a glimpse of the possibilities for
future Android devices. Beyond the buzz, a recent study by market
research firm NPD Group revealed that Android sat comfortably
between Blackberry (36%) and Apple (21%) in mobile OS market share
at 28%. As is the trend, consumers have a tendency to
transition their heavy content devices into enterprise tools. In
this case, Google is anticipating and preparing.
Almost a year ago, Google assured that "future versions of the
Android operating system would support businesses who give phones
to employees working on the road." In a Reuters.com article by Sinead Carew, written in
July 2009, Android developer Andy Rubin points out in an interview
that "in the future, I think enterprise will be a good focus for
us."
As Android begins to adapt to enterprise users, the newest
upgrade offers plenty of utility enhancements, including "improved
Microsoft Exchange support with password enforcement, automatic
application updates, remote wipe, and two to five times faster
performance due to the addition of a just-in-time compiler,"
according to an article from Networkworld.com.
Among other notable additions, Android 2.2 will allow more
leverage with Google's Cloud applications and new Device
Administration APIs for remote and secure device management.
On the other side of the issue, the next generation of mobile
devices will eventually face their toughest opponent - malware.
According to an article from Computerworld.com, security
researchers will "demonstrate a malicious 'rootkit' program they've
written for Google's Android phone next month at the Defcon hacking
conference in Las Vegas."
While rootkits have been around for years on computer desktops
(mainly used to "cover their tracks" on an OS to evade detection),
very few have been tested or executed on mobile
platforms.
Because this rootkit runs in Android's Linux kernel, it would
have the ability to reroute 911 calls to other numbers or track a
user's location.
While anything capable of this obstruction is still several
years away, the movement to mobile operating systems is growing
steam monthly. With Apple's iPhone OS 4 due in early June, HP's
recent acquisition of Palm, and Microsoft's Windows 7 phone
operating system due this year, the enterprise arena will
undoubtedly be driven by user choice - and business adaptation.
Until Next Time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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