Microsoft employees in China banned from using Android phones
Microsoft has banned its staff in China from using Android devices on its network, requiring them to use Apple iPhones on the work network instead.
In response to previous data breaches and as part of its new Secure Future Initiative, Microsoft has informed its staff in China that when authenticating identity and accessing the corporate network or logging into work machines, Android devices will no longer be allowed and Apple iPhones be mandatory.
As pointed out by a Bloomberg According to the report, the Google Play Store is not available in China, meaning Android device users have to download their apps directly or through marketplaces operated by device makers such as Huawei and Xiaomi. This means that applications are not scanned and authenticated for security purposes in the same way and there is a risk of users downloading malware.
According to the memo sent to Microsoft staff in China, the lack of Google services led Microsoft to ban Android devices. The measure also aims to increase the use of the Microsoft Authenticator and Identity Pass applications.
Apple’s iOS store is available in China.
According to the Bloomberg According to the report, Microsoft plans to gift its employees in China with Android devices, including Xiaomi or Huawei, an iPhone 15 as a one-time purchase. These phones will be distributed through various centers across the country, including Hong Kong.
As part of its Secure Future initiative, Microsoft intends to increase its security in several ways, including shipping software with a higher security standard, releasing patches to the cloud faster, and managing signing keys faster. of identity.
It also plans to strengthen its network security and increase the security of its tenant environments, ensuring that only safe and healthy devices have access to tenant environments and eliminating entity lateral movement pivots between them and cloud environments. .
It also aims to protect its networks and production systems with the new initiative.
