Samsung and Sectra team up to make a ‘secure smartphone’ for a European defense organisation

Samsung has teamed up with Sectra, a mobile solutions provider in Europe, to create a secure smartphone that integrates the Korean manufacturer’s KNOX solution with Sectra’s communications security platform. This smartphone will be rolled out to an unnamed European defense organization. KNOX will allow the device to be more secure at the device level, while Sectra’s Tiger/R solution will enable secure communication over mobile networks.
Samsung has been working actively to get KNOX into government organizations around the world , with the US government’s certification of KNOX-enabled devices one of the biggest achievements. KNOX is also the security platform used on Android, and allows corporate and business users to separate their personal and work spaces for data and apps on a mobile device.

Press Release:

Linkoping, Sweden – September 22, 2015 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Sectra (http://communications.sectra.com/) (STO: SECT B), a leading European provider of secure mobile solutions, have entered a technical partnership to integrate the Samsung KNOX™ platform in Sectra’s solution for secure smartphone communication. A first delivery of the next-generation secure smartphone, which is the result of this cooperation, is currently being rolled out to a European defense organization. There is increasing demand within security-conscious sectors for a smartphone that provides full usability, without compromising on security. Sectra’s encryption solution for smartphones, Sectra Tiger®/R (http://communications.sectra.com/security-solutions/tigers-r), is a response to this demand, enabling the use of smartphones to securely communicate classified information over mobile networks. It is designed for use at the RESTRICTED security classification level. “Through the cooperation with Samsung and the integration of Samsung KNOX in our Tiger solution, we have combined our expertise in encryption technology and Samsung’s advanced knowledge in platform security,” says Michael Bertilsson, President of Sectra Communications. “This strategic cooperation with Samsung allows us to focus on meeting our users’ needs in terms of communications security, availability, and mobility in an environment where new threats against smartphones appear on an increasing basis.” The partnership enables Sectra to enhance the Sectra Tiger/R solution with the Samsung KNOX comprehensive smartphone security platform. While Sectra’s hardware -based encryption ensures communication security, Samsung KNOX ensures the integrity of the device, substantially reducing vulnerability to malicious applications and tampering. “Sectra is one of the pioneers in mobile voice encryption, with 20 years’ experience of mastering mobile secure communication systems,” says Björn Hansen, Sales Director Telecom at Samsung Electronics. “Through close cooperation between the development teams behind Samsung KNOX and Sectra Tiger/R, we are making the technology available to users who were not previously able to benefit from it.”