Although enterprise mobility devices have a relatively smaller market than consumer smartphones do, still there are thousands of devices with different specs and form factors to confuse you. To make it worse, while you can easily get reviews and comparisons of the latest smartphones through videos and blog posts created by well-renowned tech journalists or YouTubers, this is not the case for enterprise mobile devices. There is simply not much insightful public information you can get by just googling. When it comes to Android devices, however, there is one northern star that guides you through the rough terrain of scattered information: Android Enterprise Recommended.
What is Android Enterprise Recommended?
Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) is a program led by Google, designed to help businesses choose high-quality Android devices as well as software solutions. It is a list of validated devices against strict requirements, and through a public platform, it encourages manufacturers to match those requirements and register their devices to the program. The AER directory categorizes products by form factor, manufacturer, memories, etc., in which you can easily navigate it through to the product that you need. Currently, Point Mobile has five devices (PM30, PM451, PM90, PM45, and PM85) listed as Android Enterprise Recommended, and planning to register many more new products in the future, such as the PM67 or the upcoming PM75.
What are the requirements that Google inspects?
Depending on the type of the device and the version of OS, Google sets a different standard. For a rugged device with Android 11.0, for example, it needs to be equipped with at least 2GB RAM / 16GB ROM, a processor faster than 1.1GHz, IP54 water/dust resistance, and MIL-STD-810G drop resistance. To keep the general user experience excellent, AER also requires manufacturers to include Google’s default system apps, additional device management apps and encourages them to follow the specific guidelines about how to design their interface, so that customers can enjoy standardized and intuitive experiences across different devices.
The security update standard requires manufacturers to publish update within 90 days with an announcement on their websites that has link to it from Google’s Security Bulletins. As most businesses buy devices in bulk and manage a fleet of mobile computers, AER states that manufacturers must offer at least two of the next three solutions: work profile management, full device management, dedicated device management.
Android Enterprise Recommended Badge
Advantages of certified devices for businesses
So, why do manufacturers and software companies keep registering their products to AER? And why should buyers consider choosing a device or service from that list? Well, the answer is simple: AER guarantees that a product matches the minimum level of specs to be suitable for enterprise use, in terms of performance, security, and availability. The sheer amount of available products (of any kind really) can be confusing, and buyers don’t have time to check every single product on the market. So by recommending products that are safe to be used in a professional environment, Google is giving us a hand which makes it a lot easier to choose the right product.
Visit the Android Enterprise Recommended website ➜
Find Point Mobile devices in the Enterprise Solutions Directory ➜
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