Moki is excited to announce the release of Android Enterprise, built exclusively on the brand new Android Management API.
To learn more about Android Enterprise and what Moki offers, please see below.
What is Android Enterprise?
Android Enterprise is a Google-led initiative to enable the use of Android devices and apps in the workplace. The program offers APIs and other tools for developers to integrate support for Android into their enterprise mobility management (EMM) or mobile device management (MDM) solutions.
There are two Android Enterprise API solutions. First, is the older Google Play EMM API, and the second is the new Android Management API. The primary reason for Android making the change to the new API is that it removes the requirement of EMMs (MDMs) to develop their own custom device policy controller (DPC) application. The Android Management API comes with its own DPC provided by Google. This Android Management API will be the primary Android Enterprise API going forward, and any new Android Enterprise features will be added here vs. the Google Play EMM API.
The Android Management API supports the full enterprise mobility management lifecycle, from initial customer enrollment to setting up and managing devices.
Android Enterprise Use Cases
There are three Enterprise use cases supported on Android Enterprise. The first is BYOD (bring your own device). Employees own these devices, but organizations can manage specific applications or settings on employee’s devices. These are applications or settings configurations that employees need to either do their jobs or to maintain compliance with company security policies.
The second use case is company-owned devices for knowledge workers. These are devices that companies provide to their employees to perform their jobs. These devices can either be locked down to specific company applications or can be configured with company-specific containers that separate work and personal applications.
The last use case is company-owned devices for dedicated use. These devices can either be employee-facing devices or customer-facing devices. These dedicated devices (formerly called corporate-owned single-use, or COSU) are a subset of company-owned devices that serve a specific purpose. Android comes with a broad set of management features that allow organizations to configure devices for everything from employee-facing factory and industrial environments, to customer-facing signage and kiosk purposes. Dedicated devices are typically locked to a single app or set of apps. Android 6.0+ offers granular control over a device’s lock screen, status bar, keyboard, and other key features, to prevent users from enabling other apps or performing other actions on dedicated devices.
Moki’s Android Enterprise Solution
Moki’s Android Enterprise solution built off of the newer Android Management API, which means that Moki’s Android Enterprise solution will continually get updated as Google releases new features and enhancements. Also, Moki’s solution is currently built to manage company-owned devices for dedicated use. Moki will continue to build out Android Enterprise to eventually be able to support all use cases that our customers have very soon.
How Android Enterprise Works
An Android Enterprise solution is a combination of three components: your Moki Total Control console, a device policy controller (DPC), and managed Google Play.
Moki’s MDM Console
Moki’s MDM console is a cloud-based web application that allows admins to manage their organization, devices, and apps. Moki’s console has been integrated with the APIs and UI components provided by Android Enterprise.
DPC
All Android devices that Moki manages use Android’s DPC. A DPC is an agent that applies the management policies set in your Moki console to devices.
Managed Google Play
Managed Google Play is an enterprise app platform based on Google Play that is free to Android Enterprise customers and fully integrated into Moki’s MDM console. It combines the familiar user experience and app store features of Google Play with a set of management capabilities designed specifically for enterprises.
IT admins can use managed Google Play to discover apps, view app details, and purchase app licenses. IT admins can curate, manage, and distribute apps through Moki’s MDM console.
Using Android Enterprise APIs, Moki can distribute apps to managed devices. Apps can be remotely installed on a device or added to the device’s managed Google Play store.
On managed devices, managed Google Play is the user’s enterprise app store. The interface is similar to Google Play—users can browse apps, view app details, and install them. Unlike the public version of Google Play, users can only install apps from managed Google Play that are whitelisted for them.
Conclusion
Android has dramatically improved over the years to become a mature and stable operating system, capable of meeting the most demanding needs of the enterprise. Android has empowered device manufacturers to create devices to suit all required form factors, feature sets, and budgets, all while offering robust security and the peace of mind that corporate data is entirely secure, without hindering the end user. To learn more about Android Enterprise security, click here.
Android Enterprise is a complete solution that provides reliable management across all of your devices and projects. With Zero-Touch Enrollment, the provisioning processes can significantly reduce the time it takes organizations to enroll their devices, thus saving time, money, and lowering the support burden.
Whether you have an active project today, you are evaluating the different EMM providers, or you are interested in learning more about how Android can help solve your business’s complex needs, Moki can help. Our customers manage 100s of thousands of devices across the entire world. Moki’s world-class support is here to help you every step of the way and to ensure that you have a fantastic experience. We would love the opportunity to see if Moki can help you solve some of your Android Enterprise needs. If you are interested in learning more, please call us at (844) 665-4669 or request a demo at moki.com/demo.
For additional FAQs, please view our Android Enterprise FAQs document.
