Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview has been out for quite some time now and it comes with a plethora of new features and improvements. Aside from Cortana, Start Screen background, and other neat features, Windows Phone 8.1 offers a few security features that make the platform one of the most secure smartphones on the market to date.
Windows Phone 8.1 comes with built-in MDM capabilities that helps companies manage both employee-owned (Bring Your Own Device) and company-owned devices for business use. Employees can get their devices configured for business services such as Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, and company WiFi with ease. The company can select which apps are installed, set configuration policies, and push these settings directly to your device using the MDM system. Companies can even define a whitelist of apps for the device.
Another key feature is the ability to have S/MIME support for encrypted emails. “Option to send encrypted and digitally signed email messages is now integrated to the Outlook client on your phone. This S/MIME function supported with Exchange Server can also be configured to your phone by the IT department. This option to encrypt and digitally sign emails is a great way to prevent data leaks,” Nokia stated.
Windows Phone 8.1 also supports both IPsec and SSL standards based VPN, allowing you to connect to your secure corporate network. Your company’s IT department can configure which apps automatically trigger the VPN connection. This mean that employees don’t need to configure any settings themselves.
Windows Phone 8.1 also features remote wiping. If you lose your phone, or if it’s stolen, you can remotely wipe the entire device. You can either do this yourself via Windows Live service or you can contact your IT department to do it for you.
