Studies have shown that telecommuting increases efficiency. There are several reasons for this, including that employees get to retain more of the time in their day and don’t have to face the distractions of a traditional office, such as gossiping at the coffee or water machine.

Most people who are in the workforce have access to a device that allows them to work remotely, whether access to e-mails or simply the ability to use messaging apps that are used for business conversation. Because of this, solutions to ensure security of information have become imperative – after all, no business wants their secret formula hovering around in cyberspace to anyone to snatch. This is especially relevant when it comes to staff using personal devices to create and store information specific to their work.

Craige Fleischer, Vice President of Integrated Mobility, Samsung South Africa, says, “There is a growing reliance on mobile devices for business – most employees can easily sync their personal mobile device to their work e-mails, for example. Samsung understands that mobility is increasingly imperative and has ensured that all devices are embedded with high-end data security, from Knox to Secure Folder, where important data can be kept safe.”

Secure Folder creates a private, encrypted space on smartphones by leveraging the defence-grade Knox security platform. The Secure Folder allows users to keep your private files, images, and even apps in a separate secured folder. Content can be transferred in and out of the Secure Folder and a personalised lock type can be used for access. Cloud back-up and restore also greatly assists in managing information and files.

“Multiple accounts can be created and this is where the magic happens – you can keep your work and personal data separate, so when using your smartphone to present ideas or reports, you won’t run the risk of opening a private album or displaying personal information,” concludes Fleischer.

The future is remote and as urban centres become more populated, integrating great security and connectivity into mobile devices will become not only imperative, but the norm.

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Samsung Electronics South Africa has donated 20 smartphones to non-governmental organisation (NGO), Gift of the Givers South Africa, in an effort to support communications within the association’s emergency teams.
 
Badr Kazi, Corporate Liaison Manager at Gift of the Givers South Africa, says that advanced and reliable mobile connectivity is crucial for the organisation’s various specialist teams. “When our workers are assisting at the scene of a crisis, effective communications is quite simply a matter of life and death,” he says.
 
Kazi explains that Gift of the Givers teams must coordinate their operations under extreme conditions, often where telecommunications and power infrastructure has been destroyed. “With the assistance of our sponsors, we typically set up a portable hot spot and organise our operations using mobile phones. In a situation such as the aftermath of a natural catastrophe, these mobile phones have to be very reliable, rugged and easy to use, as well as deliver long battery life. We were therefore delighted to receive the advanced smartphones from Samsung, which meet every requirement we have for communications in areas that have experience devastation.”
 
Samsung donated a range of handsets with features ideal for this nature of critical work. Among them were the Galaxy K Zoom, a phone-camera hybrid with 20.7 MP camera ideal for recording and sharing information about critical scenes and the Chat 333, with automatic chat group features ideal for collaborative communications by teams.
 
“Samsung smartphones’ durable design, broad range of intelligent features and long-lasting batteries will make them invaluable tools for supporting the important work Gift of the Givers rescue teams carry out. We always aim to be a catalyst to the betterment of people’s lives and are particularly proud of this initiative due to its potential to positively impact so many,” says Michelle Potgieter, Director: Corporate Marketing and Communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa.
 
Gift of the Givers has a large team comprising of disaster, emergency and ambulance services units. The response workers, led by Head of Search and Rescue Dr Ahmed Bham, have attended serious incidents around the world, including launching field operations during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and setting up hospitals in Syria.
 
“We are extremely grateful to Samsung for this donation, which will go a long way to ensuring our workers are able to operate effectively in affected areas. Our management services will benefit greatly from advanced mobile capabilities we now have access to,” continues Kazi.
 
“Samsung Electronics is a company that makes incredibly smart devices in an effort to simplify the everyday lives of people globally, as well as a responsible corporate organisation and active contributor to our communities. This partnership embodies our ethos and commitment to these values,” Potgieter concludes.