Samsung is chasing new areas of growth in the enterprise space as its Knox mobile security platform is being "put through its paces" by prospective customers.
Knox was released by Samsung last year after customers raised concerns over the Android operating system’s security credentials. Vice-president of Samsung's regional enterprise business, Craig Gledhill, said the solution will appeal to companies looking to veto former enterprise darling BlackBerry.
"We're educating [enterprises] on how they could migrate from BlackBerry across to Knox. Companies are being more prescriptive in saying to employees 'you have a choice between iOS or a Galaxy device.'"
The solution has generated some interest with Gledhill claiming government bodies in the US have subscribed to the solution; however, he would not reveal the identity of the agencies.
Gledhill said Samsung's Knox will begin to thrive in the following year as companies become more confident in the solution. "The interest is there but we're still going through the evaluation stages. It is being put through its paces. In the next 12 months we're going to see significant growth."
Samsung is backing mobility in the enterprise space by placing smartphones and tablets at the centre of its product ecosystems. Gledhill said smartphones will play a key role in the way businesses use Samsung's wearable devices, printers and LED-lighting.
"The hottest topic right now is mobility. It is what all our SMB customers want to talk about."
Growing pains
Samsung is eyeing new growth opportunities in Australia by pushing its LED lighting solutions. Gledhill described the opportunities in the Australian LED lighting market as "significant".
"We can save businesses up to 30 per cent off their lighting through our LED solutions," Gledhill said during a one-on-one interview. "We've now got the ability to control the lights with your smartphone."
The South Korean giant is also hoping its success in the smartphone market will help drive sales of its printers in Australia. Samsung is the second largest supplier of printers globally; however, it lags behind in Australia where it ranks fourth.
The company has added smartphone friendly technologies - such as NFC and Wi-Fi direct - to its Xpress range of printers in an effort to boost sales. These upgrades make it possible to print directly from a smartphone by simply tapping two compatible devices together.
"One category we want to boost in Australia is our printing business. It's a key piece in delivering the end-to-end experience," Gledhill said.
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