Samsung introduces Galaxy Note8 Enterprise Edition

Samsung has placed a growing emphasis on the enterprise market with the introduction of their Knox security platform across a variety of their tablets and smartphones that ensures that users who bring their own device to work can continue to do so as Knox securely puts aside the work related aspects of the phone like company information, contacts and the like in a tamper proof partition which makes it appealing for the ‘bring your own device’ crowd of IT administrators and mobile workers. Now, Samsung’s taking the next step by rolling out a Galaxy Note8 Enterprise Edition.

Currently intended for the North American market, the Galaxy Note8 Enterprise Edition is a somewhat unusual variant of the phone meant solely for corporate users. Businesses usually have a whole different bucket list of concerns that don’t usually revolve around how fast they can play Clash Royale or how good selfies are on the phone. What they need in phones is something that’s secure from a logistical standpoint ( you can get replacements easily) and from a security standpoint (only the right user with the right permissions can use the phone) as well as being easy to remotely manage en masse.

The Galaxy Note8 Enterprise Edition is essentially a stock Galaxy Note8 in almost every respect including its 6GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage and, depending on region, an Exynos 8895 or Snapdragon 835 processor but has Samsung Knox Configure and Samsung Enterprise Firmware Over the Air (E-FOTA) which allow a company’s IT staff to update the devices en-masse and configure them remotely.

There’s more naturally ,as the phones, which are sold unlocked, are offered with the option for companies to buy the same phone up to two years after the launch which makes replacing them or maintaining a pool of them less of a logistical nightmare rather than having to opt for maintaining a grab bag of different devices in a company. Added to this, the Galaxy Note8  Enterprise Edition also tosses in a commitment for monthly security updates for up to three years.

In terms of cost, the Galaxy Note8 Enterprise Edition retails for US$994 which is approximately RM4,205 in local currency which is a bit more than consumer editions of the Note8 that currently retail for RM3,999 in the open market. There’s no word on if they will expand sales of this variant in Malaysia but it is always a possibility.