AT&T creates virtual work partition for smartphone users
In today's BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) workplace, there's an issue that often arises. Many smartphone owners who are choosing to use their personal devices for work use find it obtrusive when corporate IT departments wish to manage their devices. Now AT&T has introduced a new technology called "Toggle" to allow employees to access work apps from their own smartphones without becoming a security threat.
Toggle is similar to virtualization and can be installed after an AT&T customer buys an iPhone or certain models of Android smartphones. The technology also works on the iPad as well. To enter the "work side" of their phones, users tap a special application icon that is a portal to work-related email and text messaging. Any document attachments that are accessed through Toggle are encrypted, and Toggle even has its own secure web browser.
AT&T will help corporate customers set up private app stores for custom business applications. For those apps, data is pushed to phones over SSL, and administrators can manage the work partition as much as they like -- all without infringing on the privacy of their employees. The cost to corporations is US$750 for configuration and training, plus $6.50 per device per month. There's also a support fee of $1.50 - $2.50 per month.
