Samsung Introduces Knox Guard for Enterprises: Another Layer of Device Security

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today expanded the Samsung Knox enterprise mobile security platform with the introduction of Samsung Knox Guard. This new risk management solution allows enterprise IT departments, telecom service providers, device financing, and insurance companies to remotely place a temporary lock on enrolled devices. Knox Guard’s ability to quickly make phones unusable can potentially deter theft and reduce the risk of fraud. Backed by Samsung’s hardware-level Knox security platform, Knox Guard offers additional protection through the product lifecycle.

Knox Guard provides businesses with an easy-to-use solution to reduce risks when a corporate-owned device is lost, stolen, or fraudulently reported as stolen. When these unforeseen situations occur, enterprise IT teams, carriers, and insurers can use Knox Guard to remotely place a temporary lock on the device, providing additional protection against unauthorized users from accessing its features and data.

Once locked, the device is effectively unusable by anyone who steals or fraudulently purchases it, preventing the device from being repurposed or illegally resold. Its secured data may not be accessed – locally or remotely. When the issue is resolved, an IT administrator can remotely and securely unlock a device through Knox Guard. Devices can also be unlocked when a Knox Guard administrator selects the unlock PIN option. A two-step verification system offers an alternative means for legitimate users and IT administrators, to unlock devices even without a network connection.

Carriers can also use these features to reduce the financial risks associated with equipment installment plans. Knox Guard allows carriers to send non-dismissible push notifications when purchasers have not made payments. If a device purchaser defaults on installment payments after repeated notifications, Knox Guard can allow the carrier to remotely lock the device while allowing the carrier to install an application for payment facilitation. In addition, Knox Guard can prevent other SIM cards from being used in the device, restricting functionalities like incoming and outgoing phone calls, sending or receiving SMS/MMs, restricting data usage, or completely locking the device.

Knox Guard may also deter device theft in transit, as word spreads that Samsung Galaxy devices are protected as soon as they are manufactured, remaining secured as they move from factories to warehouses to stores. If a device is reported as stolen, Knox Guard will remotely lock the device and leverages hardware-backed security, a tamper-proof IMEI number, unauthorized firmware blocking, networking bypass-proofing, and more, to prevent malicious users from disabling the lock screen. The device is released from these Knox Guard protection features once it safely arrives at a retailer.

“Mobile device losses due to theft, fraud, and payment defaults are real challenges for businesses,” said Balamurugan Thinagarajan, Director of Product GTM at Samsung Electronics America. “Millions of smartphones are stolen or fraudulently reported as stolen each year around the world. Knox Guard reduces these risks by eliminating the incentives to steal and resell those Galaxy phones while protecting the rightful owners of the devices and their data.” 

As the latest example of Samsung’s long-standing commitment to mobile device security, Knox Guard is compatible with other enterprise solutions and is supported on many Samsung Galaxy devices. Knox Guard helps enterprise IT departments, telecom service providers, device financing and insurance companies reduce the risks and worries associated with fraud and theft.

For more information on Knox Guard, please visit https://www.samsung.com/knoxguard.