Military Personnel Can Now Use Samsung Phones For Work

“We are committed to providing secure devices for approved use within the federal market, which is why we include key features like Samsung Knox and biometrics on each device.” – Chris Balcik, Vice President, Federal Government at Samsung Electronics America

US military personnel can now officially use their Samsung phones for work. The Korean electronics giant has announced that its latest flagship devices, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, the Galaxy S8, and the Galaxy S9 have landed on the Approved Products List for the Department of Defense.

It’s the result of a rigorous testing process with respect to the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation established by the Defense Information Security Agency (DISA). Samsung says it also worked with DISA to author Security Technical Implementation Guides for the use of its products by the DoD.

The certification testifies to the sophisticated security of Samsung’s devices, with the company noting in a statement that devices “must demonstrate compliance with over one hundred unique requirements, ranging from encryption to intrusion detection to key exchange to support for secure network standards.”

The security of Samsung’s latest smartphones was a key selling point in the consumer market, as well. All of the models concerned feature the Samsung Knox security platform and place a strong emphasis on biometric authentication, particularly in the form of iris recognition, billed as a far more accurate means of user identification than fingerprint scanning. As Samsung Electronics America Federal Government VP Chris Balcik explains, “We are committed to providing secure devices for approved use within the federal market, which is why we include key features like Samsung Knox and biometrics on each device.”

The approval is good news both for Samsung and the federal government, which can now deploy Samsung’s smartphones without any need for modification among its personnel, opening opportunities for administrative efficiencies.