Samsung Galaxy S4 cleared for use by US Department of Defense

published 3 May 2013

Samsung has confirmed its secured version of Android has been approved for use by the US Department of Defense (DoD).

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) greenlit the use of the Samsung Galaxy S4 which have the Knox software running on it after testing was successful.

The DoD has stringent security requirements in place and the passing of Knox marks the first time an Android device has been approved for use within its network.

Samsung also confirmed it is seeking certifications from other international governments.

JK Shin, president and CEO of IT and mobile communications at Samsung, noted that gaining approval from the DoD was an important step for its enterprise business.

"This approval enables other government agencies and regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services to adopt Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets," he said.

"This is a significant milestone for Samsung as we work to grow our relationships within government and large corporate enterprises."

The Samsung Galaxy S4, which launched on 26 April is the first smartphone to support Knox. The device has the software shipped with it, but it is yet to be activated in regular handsets.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also confirmed that BlackBerry devices have also been cleared for use.

Lieutenant Colonel Damien Pickart, a Pentagon spokesman, said BlackBerry 10 smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook had been cleared. The Pentagon is also also expected to clear Apple devices running iOS 6 during May.

Khidr Suleman is the Technical Editor at IT Pro, a role he has fulfilled since March 2012. He is responsible for the reviews section on the site - so get in touch if you have a product you think might be of interest to the business world. He also covers the hardware and operating systems beats. Prior to joining IT Pro, Khidr worked as a reporter at Incisive Media. He studied law at the University of Reading and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism and Online Writing at PMA Training.