Samsung has announced that it will be releasing a support- and security-enhanced, enterprise version of the Galaxy Note 8, and it will be sold exclusively through Samsung channel partners.
The Galaxy Note 8 Enterprise Edition is designed specifically for enterprise and small- and medium-sized business (SMB) users. It ships unlocked, and Samsung is calling it the first true ‘business-first’ mobile offering for this product line. It features enterprise-level customization, management, support and security enhancements.
The move to release an enterprise-grade version of its flagship device is the companies effort to make it easier for IT to manage employee devices. Samsung is calling it the ‘IT Paradox’.
“Modern enterprises are dealing with a conflict when it comes to their mobile strategies – a push and pull between what they require of IT to keep organizations secure and productive, and what their employees have come to expect when using mobile devices. We call this the IT Paradox,” said Eric McCarty, vice president of mobile B2B product marketing at Samsung Electronics America in a release.
In order to solve this problem, Samsung is focusing on two key feature improvements: customization with simplified deployment and management and enhanced security and business continuity.
Customization with simplified deployment and management comes by offering Samsung Knox Configure and Samsung Enterprise Firmware Over the Air (E-FOTA) in order to reduce downtime and simplify enterprise-wide smartphone deployments. With Knox, IT can securely and remotely configure and deploy branded, custom mobile experiences, while E-FOTA allows for the management of a fleet of devices through a centralized OS.
Enhanced security and business continuity introduces a traditional PC-class product lifecycle for support services for the smartphone. This means devices receive monthly security updates for up to three years.
The Galaxy Note 8 Enterprise Edition is available now in the U.S. via Samsung channel partners for $994 USD per device. This is $50 more than the consumer version of the device. CDN has reached out to Samsung Canada for comment on when this will become available for Canadian channel partners.
We reviewed the Galaxy Note 8 on All Hands on Tech, calling it a return to form for the Note brand. You can watch our review below.