Only recently announced
In the autumn of 2014, Microsoft revealed to the world that it was developing a built-in-mobile device that will be embedded into Office 365 and will be available free of charge. The new tools have been introduced in response to the growing popularity of mobile computing, which has transformed the way in which business store and access private data.
Manage apps with Greater ease
The new mobile feature will make it easier for people to manage their apps with better security, while also enabling them to delete confidential data without losing their personal data. This does not just apply to phones; it also includes data stored on tablets that use the Android, Windows or Apple operating systems.
Create e-mail accounts and certificates
After enrolling a device, people can create e-mail profiles and issue certificates, which allows authorised users to access business data securely, which could include the use of a Company Portal to allow them to install business apps. Furthermore, with customised mobile device settings, businesses will also be able to use jailbreak detection or pin lock to prevent fraudsters from accessing sensitive data from a stolen or lost device.
Business owners can set data policies to safeguard confidential data
Another benefit of the new device is that people can maintain the Office 365 productively experience, which enables business owners to set policies to ensure that their company data is secure and only available to authorised personnel. With enhanced application management, people won’t be able to copy or save confidential data in an app ecosystem, and will only be able to view this data using an application such as a PDF Viewer or an Image Viewer.
When will it be rolled out?
The new built-in mobile device feature is expected to be rolled out in the first few months of 2015 and will also be accompanied by a number of other updates such as a new Azure Active Directory and Microsoft Intune updates. Clearly, this is also Microsoft’s way of competing against Google’s new Android 5.0 Lollipop, which offers similar security upgrades and was announced at approximately the same time.
A new mobile software kit
Microsoft is also providing new native app features in the form of mobile software development kits, which will help Office users create apps for their mobile devices to use in conjunction with their Office apps. Customers using the Office 365 Home, Personal and Student packages will also benefit from unlimited OneDrive storage in the coming months, perhaps spelling the end of cloud storage limits.
2015: A special year for Microsoft
In 2015, Microsoft will also celebrate its 40th anniversary, reflecting on decades of technological innovation and pioneering growth that gave birth to the PC revolution of the 1980s and 1990s.It appears that the company has not provided much indication on how it will intend to celebrate this key event. Perhaps it will unveil a new surprise product, or maybe it will reward customers will a special incentive or gift to mark this pivotal event.
Alex Viall is the Director for one of London’s leading IT support companies – Mustard IT.