Android for Work officially launched by Google

Android for Work, originally discussed during last year's Google I/O developer conference, has officially been launched today. The feature allows an employee to bring his own Android phone or tablet to work. At work, a secure container can be opened which allows users to access Google apps that are customized for business use. Keep in mind that this secure container is available only on Android 5.0 powered handsets.

Your company's IT department will not be able to access your personal data. For those with handsets that can't be updated to Lollipop, Google is offering a separate app that offers secure mail, calendar, contacts, documents, browsing and other work apps. Google Play for Work will make sure that on the business side, only apps approved by the IT department are available to add to your phone or slate. The customized Google apps in the container will sit side-by-side with some third party apps for the enterprise like Box, SAP and Salesforce 1. Android for Work Product Management Director Rajen Sheth told those attending a San Francisco press conference that "Every employee should have a work-enabled mobile device in their hands."

BlackBerry announced today that its EMM solution, BES12, will support devices running Android for Work. BES already allows a corporation to manage employees' handsets running BlackBerry, Android, iOS and Windows Phone. With Wednesday's release, BlackBerry said that BES12 will work with Android for Work at the office or via the cloud "while providing unhindered access to Google Now and any Android application available on Google Play that is permitted by an organization’s IT policies."

Of course, once the business day is over, the Android for Work user switches his phone back for personal use.

source: BusinessInsider, GigaOM