Samsung's Hardware-Based Knox Security Platform Slides From Enterprise To Consumers

Many times, we'll see a consumer-based product repurposed for enterprise uses. But, occasionally, it works the other way around. Cloud services were largely an enterprise project for years, but now, cloud services dominate the consumer landscape. Samsung's Knox was built for enterprise, but this week it is being ushered into the consumer realm, too.


For those unaware, Knox is said to be an end-to-end solution that provides security hardening from the hardware through the application layer; it implements a concept called "container" that is a separate secure execution environment for a set of pre-screened applications to run and store data. Applications running outside the container have only limited access to the data stored inside the container where security is enforced by system-level protection of Knox, and user data stored in the container is protected from malware and phishing attacks as well as hacking attempts on physical devices when devices are stolen or lost.

It's easy to see why IT administrators would love this kind of oversight, but it's also useful for on-the-go individuals who spend half of their day using a mobile for business, and the other half for personal reasons. In the world of cellular telephony, the line between enterprise and consumer continues to blur.